KashifAsrar
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Defence brass on ââ¬Ësecretââ¬â¢ Israel trips
Despite Left Opposition, Air Chief And Navy Vice-Chief Visited The Country To Bolster Military Ties
Rajat Pandit | TNN
New Delhi: The ever-expanding Indo-Israeli military relationship, which came out of the closet during the previous NDA regime, has once again gone underground under the UPA government.
In July, defence minister Pranab Mukherjee was forced to call off his visit to Israel due to political sensitivities, both domestic and international. CPM and CPI even demanded India sever all military ties with Israel in wake of the bloody conflict in Southern Lebanon.
Now, top defence officials are being forced to make ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëcovertââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ visits to the Jewish state. Consider this: IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi and Navy vice-chief Vice-Admiral Venkat Bharathan, among others, have made ââ¬Ëââ¬Ësecretââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ trips to Israel over the last five days, say sources.
On one hand, it underlines the fact that there has been no slowdown in the bilateral military relationship, with Israel becoming the second-largest defence supplier to India, notching sales worth around $900 million every year as compared to Russiaââ¬â¢s $1,500 million.
On the other hand, it is amply clear that the Manmohan Singh government does not want the military relationship to figure on anybodyââ¬â¢s radar screen, including its Left allies.
Sources say the bilateral relationship is only going to grow in the coming years, with negotiations or joint R&D projects underway for more advanced radars, long-endurance and high-altitude UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), electronic warfare systems, third-generation night-fighting capabilities and the like.
Missiles and anti-missile defence systems, of course, remain a priority area. ââ¬Ëââ¬ËA wide array of missiles, ranging from Crystal Maze air-to-surface and Python air-to-air missiles to Popeye cruise missiles, have already been contracted or are being negotiated,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ said sources.
The Navy, for instance, is pursuing the joint project to develop long-range surface-to-air missile systems to succeed the Barak-I anti-missile defence systems already inducted on several Indian warships. ââ¬Ëââ¬ËWhile Barak-I has a 9-kmrange, the new missiles will have a 60-km range,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ said sources.
India is also looking closely at the Israeli Arrow-II anti-ballistic missile defence system. India, incidentally, acquired two Green Pine early-warning and fire-control radars, a crucial component of the Arrow system which can detect and track hostile missiles from 500 km away, in 2001-2002.
IAF, on its part, is keen to acquire some more Aerostat radars, basically phased-array radars mounted on blimp-like balloons tethered to ground, to bolster air defence capabilities.
ââ¬Ëââ¬ËThe final acceptance trials of the two Israeli Aerostat radars we got earlier are taking place in Gujarat and Punjab now. But, we need at least 10 more such radars. Though expensive, one Aerostat can substitute for 30-40 groundbased radars in providing three-dimensional low-altitude coverage,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ said sources.
During his visit, ACM Tyagi also reviewed the progress of the $1.1-billion ââ¬ËPhalconââ¬â¢ project, with the first of the three AWACS (airborne warning and control systems) scheduled for induction in November 2007.
Israel is helping with the modernisation of Indiaââ¬â¢s Russian-origin platforms ranging from MiG-21s and MiG-27s to the T-72 tanks, apart from several other joint R&D projects.
Despite Left Opposition, Air Chief And Navy Vice-Chief Visited The Country To Bolster Military Ties
Rajat Pandit | TNN
New Delhi: The ever-expanding Indo-Israeli military relationship, which came out of the closet during the previous NDA regime, has once again gone underground under the UPA government.
In July, defence minister Pranab Mukherjee was forced to call off his visit to Israel due to political sensitivities, both domestic and international. CPM and CPI even demanded India sever all military ties with Israel in wake of the bloody conflict in Southern Lebanon.
Now, top defence officials are being forced to make ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëcovertââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ visits to the Jewish state. Consider this: IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi and Navy vice-chief Vice-Admiral Venkat Bharathan, among others, have made ââ¬Ëââ¬Ësecretââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ trips to Israel over the last five days, say sources.
On one hand, it underlines the fact that there has been no slowdown in the bilateral military relationship, with Israel becoming the second-largest defence supplier to India, notching sales worth around $900 million every year as compared to Russiaââ¬â¢s $1,500 million.
On the other hand, it is amply clear that the Manmohan Singh government does not want the military relationship to figure on anybodyââ¬â¢s radar screen, including its Left allies.
Sources say the bilateral relationship is only going to grow in the coming years, with negotiations or joint R&D projects underway for more advanced radars, long-endurance and high-altitude UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), electronic warfare systems, third-generation night-fighting capabilities and the like.
Missiles and anti-missile defence systems, of course, remain a priority area. ââ¬Ëââ¬ËA wide array of missiles, ranging from Crystal Maze air-to-surface and Python air-to-air missiles to Popeye cruise missiles, have already been contracted or are being negotiated,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ said sources.
The Navy, for instance, is pursuing the joint project to develop long-range surface-to-air missile systems to succeed the Barak-I anti-missile defence systems already inducted on several Indian warships. ââ¬Ëââ¬ËWhile Barak-I has a 9-kmrange, the new missiles will have a 60-km range,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ said sources.
India is also looking closely at the Israeli Arrow-II anti-ballistic missile defence system. India, incidentally, acquired two Green Pine early-warning and fire-control radars, a crucial component of the Arrow system which can detect and track hostile missiles from 500 km away, in 2001-2002.
IAF, on its part, is keen to acquire some more Aerostat radars, basically phased-array radars mounted on blimp-like balloons tethered to ground, to bolster air defence capabilities.
ââ¬Ëââ¬ËThe final acceptance trials of the two Israeli Aerostat radars we got earlier are taking place in Gujarat and Punjab now. But, we need at least 10 more such radars. Though expensive, one Aerostat can substitute for 30-40 groundbased radars in providing three-dimensional low-altitude coverage,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ said sources.
During his visit, ACM Tyagi also reviewed the progress of the $1.1-billion ââ¬ËPhalconââ¬â¢ project, with the first of the three AWACS (airborne warning and control systems) scheduled for induction in November 2007.
Israel is helping with the modernisation of Indiaââ¬â¢s Russian-origin platforms ranging from MiG-21s and MiG-27s to the T-72 tanks, apart from several other joint R&D projects.
