Military Acquisitions, Partnerships & Developments

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 24 Feb 2009 08:56

Information about the GM 400 radar from Thales site.

GM400 : The world’s first long range high medium low altitude radar

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 02 Mar 2009 11:41

WTF ?

First Phalcon radar system to arrive in May

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 06 Mar 2009 20:26

Bharti Shipyard gets order for 15 interceptor boats from Coast Guard.

aditp · Post by **aditp** » 13 Mar 2009 13:33

big-bang-auto-order-plan-for-defence-forces

....The plan for big-bang defence purchases is likely to benefit not just automobile producers but also downstream ancillary units and steel manufacturers. Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), Ashok Leyland, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and state-owned BEML (formerly Bharat Earth Movers Ltd) are the major vehicle suppliers for the three defence forces. The major domestic steel suppliers for the auto-makers are Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Ispat and Essar Steel.

A senior BEML executive said the company had developed and tested new vehicles for the defence forces. “There has been an increase of about Rs 20,000 crore in defence outlay this year to Rs 1,41,703 crore and 2 to 3 per cent of it will be spent by the government on procurement of armoured and other defence-related vehicles,” the executive added.

Last year, BEML bagged orders worth Rs 670 crore from the defence forces for defence vehicles. This year, the company is confident of bagging orders worth Rs 1,000 crore.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 18 Mar 2009 07:17

US clears sale of reconnaissance aircraft to India

sum · Post by **sum** » 18 Mar 2009 09:02

How is it that US is clearing a mega P-8I deal but "reviewing" LM2500 for our frigates?

BajKhedawal · Post by **BajKhedawal** » 18 Mar 2009 11:02

^^^^^^^Sum,

It’s possibly a first installment of many more to come arm twisting ploy in order to turn Pakistan’s focus to Afghanistan instead of India. Sort of bullying India into letting Amrekhan meddle in “resolving” Kashmir issue.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Obam ... latestnews

Obama govt would quietly focus on Kashmir: Former US diplomat
18 Mar 2009, 0855 hrs IST, PTI

WASHINGTON: Observing that the Obama administration is looking at Pakistan through a different lens than its predecessors {ditto with regards to India}, a former American diplomat today said the new US government would quietly focus itself on Kashmir away from the public glaze.

William Milam, the former US Ambassador to Pakistan, identified India and Kashmir as one of the issues, which the Obama administration would focus on while trying to find a solution to Pakistan.

"There's one more thing and it's a very delicate thing that I think this administration will focus on. But it will be hard to determine this focus because it will be quite closely held and under wraps {what else, its the age old carrot and stick approach}. And that is the India-centricity of Pakistan," said Milam, who was in Islamabad from 1998 to 2001.

"Everything that Pakistan does, at least in foreign affairs and security issues, is viewed through the lens of India, which it views as its eternally hostile neighbour," Milam said, adding that the US can't do much at least on the issue of Kashmir due to India's position on it. {unless of course squeeze the balls once in a while to let us know who the superbad is}

"There's no good way we can do this. We certainly cannot be seen to meddle or to even mediate on the issues, particularly the Kashmir issue. But we really have to work on putting this back together," Milam said testifying before the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

ravi_s · Post by **ravi_s** » 18 Mar 2009 11:11

Why is the DDM reporting that the first phalcon is due to arrive in May 2009

I thought that the phalcon had already arrived soemtime in mid Feb and taken to Agra.. We had links pertaining to that also..

can somebody confirm?

Dmurphy · Post by **Dmurphy** » 18 Mar 2009 14:40

ravi_s wrote:Why is the DDM reporting that the first phalcon is due to arrive in May 2009

Where have you been ?

And it was DDM then too...

pkudva · Post by **pkudva** » 18 Mar 2009 21:52

I still believe confidentiality should be maintained in all these projects,reports will always come. Even if Phalcon comes in May-09 it should not be an issue.
On the case that some of them had seen it in Agra,it might have come for training for may be formal induction wherein we might have raised certain technical points which may be taken care now in israel.This possibility cannot be ruled out.

Dmurphy · Post by **Dmurphy** » 18 Mar 2009 23:54

pkudva wrote:On the case that some of them had seen it in Agra,it might have come for training for may be formal induction wherein we might have raised certain technical points which may be taken care now in israel.This possibility cannot be ruled out.

I think its more a case of mistaken identity, though the possibility of that happening to a trained eye is low. Could be that that reporter - 'Sandeep Unnithan' mistook the R-day float at Delhi for AWACS. People in Agra must have seen Il-76/78. Ditto with some BRFite staying in Bangalore.

Reminds me of the frenzy that people caught in the early 90s when Ganesh idols reportedly started drinking milk in UK first and then started to drink milk at everybody's home

Everybody was convinced. The 8 year old me included!

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 19 Mar 2009 05:13

LiveFist: The P-8I Presentation

Snoop vision: Phalcons will give IAF early bird advantage

NEW DELHI: After several technical and other hiccups, IAF will finally get its most potent force-multiplier, the desperately awaited Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), from Israel in May.

An Awacs flying over Amritsar, for instance, will be able to detect and track a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet as soon as it takes off from its Sargodha airbase.

‘‘The first Awacs should land in India in first week of May, with the second coming towards end-2009 and the third in mid-2010. Our team is currently in Israel for the final inspection and check,’’ said a senior IAF officer.

Incidentally, IAF and Navy are also on course to induct nine more Israeli Aerostat radars as a ‘‘follow-on’’ order to the two such EL/M-2083 radars procured in 2004-2005 for $145 million.

ravi_s · Post by **ravi_s** » 19 Mar 2009 15:17

this is the link i found on google ..

http://www.domain-b.com/aero/mil_avi/mi ... awacs.html

dunno whether it is true or not.

neeraj · Post by **neeraj** » 19 Mar 2009 16:11

India acquires Israeli spy satellite

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/st ... 0090088139

sum · Post by **sum** » 19 Mar 2009 19:51

neeraj wrote:India acquires Israeli spy satellite

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/st ... 0090088139

Since when is launching a sat for another country= acquiring a satellite?

Mihaylo · Post by **Mihaylo** » 19 Mar 2009 20:28

sum wrote:
neeraj wrote:India acquires Israeli spy satellite

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/st ... 0090088139
Since when is launching a sat for another country= acquiring a satellite?

Actually, DDM being DDM is just reporting the facts. India has "acquired" the Israeli satellite so that it could launch it into space onlee

Israely spy satellite to be launched by India has been acquired by India onleee

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 19 Mar 2009 20:38

Hindu has a far more accurate report:

ISRO gearing up to put Israeli satellite in orbit

http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/19/stories ... 641100.htm

A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to put in orbit Israeli satellite RISAT in the first week of April.

India may use the radar images from the Israeli RISAT because the integration of India’s own RISAT had been delayed, an ISRO official said. However, another ISRO official said, “We do not know the end-user.” The Indian version of RISAT will be launched later this year or next year.

Also from the same report:

The vehicle, PSLV-C12, will also deploy a mini-satellite called Anusat, built by Anna University, Chennai. Anusat, an amateur communications satellite weighing 38 kg, was integrated at the Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai, of Anna University.

It is undergoing tests at the ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore. It will reach Sriharikota soon. Its integration helped the students to get a hands-on experience in understanding the complexities in building a satellite.

Kudos..

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 20 Mar 2009 02:08

Dmurphy wrote:
pkudva wrote:Could be that that reporter - 'Sandeep Unnithan' mistook the R-day float at Delhi for AWACS. People in Agra must have seen Il-76/78. Ditto with some BRFite staying in Bangalore.

Sandeep is an old hand at defence and is not likely to mistake a AWACS, with a big chapati on top, for anything else.

K

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 20 Mar 2009 04:12

Balloon radars, night-vision guns, Net monitors: purchase fast-tracked

Also from,

Finmeccanica eyes rail cars, engines in India

AgustaWestland, one of Finmeccanica's units, signed an accord in February with India's Tata Sons to form a joint venture company that will assemble AW119 helicopters in India.

The joint venture company will be the supplier for the Indian Army's Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter programme.

AgustaWestland and Tata companies have also plan to explore additional commercial opportunities in India for AgustaWestland helicopters. ($1=0.74 euro) (Editing by John Mair)

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 21 Mar 2009 05:30

'Defence safe from global recession'

'Defence is one sector that is completely safe from the global recession. Every other field is adopting cost-cutting measures but defence sector's budgets are well in place,' said Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar, who heads the Indian Air Force (IAF) Maintenance Command, while interacting with media persons at the Base Repair Depot-3 here.

Responding to a question about the purchase of 80 medium-lift helicopters from Russia, Nayyar said: 'India would start receiving the Mi-17V-5s from June 2010,' adding the IAF had already started to improve its infrastructure to adapt to the new technology choppers.

'We are spending nearly Rs.70 crore (Rs.700 million) on the upgradation of the infrastructure to accommodate the Mi-17V-5s. Russian instructors will also come here to brief us about the helicopters,' Nayyar pointed out.

'We will also send our AN-32s (transport aircraft) to Ukraine for their upgradation. This would increase their life span from 25 to 40 years,' Nayyar said.

Nayyar, who retires March 31, was on his farewell visit at BRD-3.
He said the IAF had allocated Rs.500 crore (Rs.5 billion) for the modernisation of BRDs and this work was on in full swing.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 21 Mar 2009 06:44

Some information on what the An-32 modernization entails.

ANTONOV ASTC, jointly with AVIANT Kyiv State Aviation plant, IVCHENKO PROGRESS Design Bureau and MOTOR SICH JSC (Ukraine), developed a number of procedures in order to renew and upgrade the AN-32 airplanes being operated. Implementation of such procedures in cooperation with aeronautical enterprises of India will allow to:

1) prolong an aircraft service life up to 20 years with further prolongation up to 25-30 years. At that, it is proposed to carry out less laborious reconditioning repair instead of overhaul;

2) increase an engine life to 1st overhaul from 1,000-2,000 up to 4,000 hours, a specified life from 3,000-6,000 up to 20,000 hours;

3) increase a payload;

4) extend a flight range by 1,000 km due to installation of additional fuel tanks total of 3,000 l capacity;

5) advance electronic equipment;

6) reduce a noise level in a cockpit;

7) perform maritime patrol and search-and-rescue missions. After completing the corresponding development, the AN-32 airplanes will be able to be fruitfully operated in the sky of India for many years, successfully performing preset tasks.

ANTONOV ASTC started developing a deeper modification of this successful aircraft powered with turboprop engines of a new generation. As a result, a cabin noise level, fuel consumption, empty weight of the aircraft will be essentially reduced; ability to be operated from unpaved strips will be improved; runway length required will be shorter; some other performance will be improved too. Besides, the new modification will differ from the basic AN-32 aircraft with advanced systems and avionics. Soft tanks in a wing center-section will be replaced with integral fuel tanks. As a result a fuel tank capacity will be more than 1.3 times increased, a transit range will be more than twice extended. The new aircraft of the family will meet all the International requirements to light military and civil transports. Due to good combination of high performance and a comparatively low price, it will be able to successfully compete with analogous aircraft at the world market. It is planned to set a new AN-32 aircraft production under a wide co-operation of enterprises of Ukraine, the Russian Federation, India and other countries.

k prasad · Post by **k prasad** » 21 Mar 2009 13:30

Did anyone notice the report about Middlemen in Defence deals, and their internal workings that was put up by Prasun Sengupta on his blog?? http://**************/2009/0 ... ables.html

By the mid-1990s, in the aftermath of the scandals associated with Sweden’s Bofors AB and Germany’s HDW, the closely-knit community of such facilitators {{read: Middlemen}} —having both business and political backgrounds—closed ranks in India and resolved to devise a fool-proof method of conducting their businesses based on a win-win doctrine. It was quite an ingenious and totally legal way of doing business.

The two key essential elements of this business plan are: an India-based citizen who must have access to business venture capital; and an NRI or PIO whose business interests are located abroad, and whose business activities are registered in an offshore tax-free haven. The next step is to register a shelf company in this tax haven and develop a business plan in areas where the Govt of India allows either 100% foreign ownership or majority shareholding by foreign corporate entities.

Once ready, this business plan is then peddled in search of venture capital and bridging loans. Concurrently, the owners of this business plan—the facilitators—establish political linkages with those in power within the executive branch of the Govt of India—to gain insights into the short-term, medium-term and long-term weapons procurement programmes of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, the Indian Coast Guard Service, the central paramilitary forces, and the central intelligence agencies. Once the key programmes are identified the search then begins for suitable OEMs that are ‘preferred’ by both the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), keeping in mind the supreme national interests of India.

By this stage, the decision-makers within the Govt of India have already decided who the preferred OEM will be, with the yet-to-be-conducted competitive tendering process just being an eyewash and an exercise in futility. .....

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 24 Mar 2009 09:09

CAE joint venture to open military helicopter training school in India

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 25 Mar 2009 08:15

India scraps attack helicopter tender: official

IMHO, the title below is misleading.

India willing to work with US on anti-satellite weapons

WASHINGTON: India, which is one of the few countries in the world to have significant space capabilities, is willing to work with the US to develop anti-satellite weapons, a top diplomat has said.

"This is an area of convergence on which we would be happy to work together with the US and contribute to a multilateral agreement," Shyam Saran, Prime Minister's Special Envoy, said in his address to the Brookings Institution.

Saran was referring to the recent announcements made by the US President, Barack Obama, about his intention to join multilateral efforts to prevent military conflict in space and to negotiate an agreement to prohibit the testing of anti-satellite weapons. India welcomes this, he said. "We have a large number of communications and resource survey satellites currently in orbit. Although this does not fall strictly within the nuclear domain, the need to ensure the peaceful uses of outer space, is important for nuclear stability and international security," Saran said.

{My comment: How this translates to co-operation in developing ASAT weapons is something which I don't know.}

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 25 Mar 2009 08:33

I think it should read as "India willing to work with US on global ban of anti-satellite weapons"

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 26 Mar 2009 05:42

HAL to set up new division for mission and combat systems

India's premier aerospace establishment will now be setting up another division in Bangalore in addition to the existing five divisions in the city. The new 'Mission and Combat System' division will operate from the Bangalore-based Design Complex and will focus on R&D activities with regard to implementation of aircraft and avionics projects on hand and also those which will be undertaken by the defence PSU in future.

The new division will not only focus on avionics systems integration and the use of smart avionics weapons systems but also act as a lead agent to encourage and assist other agencies.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2009 08:53

read in DNA that tender for 22 attack helis is cancelled because none of the 3 bidders could meet the RFP specs.

it is expected to retender and the delay will be additional 3 years surely.

how a retendering will improve things beats me. if the feature matrix is not available,
we could have downrated our spec without a retender and then selected the best of the 3.

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 27 Mar 2009 14:34

Singha wrote:read in DNA that tender for 22 attack helis is cancelled because none of the 3 bidders could meet the RFP specs.

it is expected to retender and the delay will be additional 3 years surely.

how a retendering will improve things beats me. if the feature matrix is not available,
we could have downrated our spec without a retender and then selected the best of the 3.

MONEY TALKS POWER TALKS USA TALKS

CAN YOU HEAR IT ????

As none of the US companies could give the bid on time and MOD did not sanction an extention the US companies got the bid re-tendered !!

Do not forget the light helicopter order cancelled because US was not selected.

Let us remember

MONEY (read USA) TALKS LOUDER THAN IDEALOGY (read Russia/Leftits)

K

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 27 Mar 2009 21:05

JaiS wrote: IMHO, the title below is misleading.

India willing to work with US on anti-satellite weapons

WASHINGTON: India, which is one of the few countries in the world to have significant space capabilities, is willing to work with the US to develop anti-satellite weapons, a top diplomat has said.

"This is an area of convergence on which we would be happy to work together with the US and contribute to a multilateral agreement," Shyam Saran, Prime Minister's Special Envoy, said in his address to the Brookings Institution.

Saran was referring to the recent announcements made by the US President, Barack Obama, about his intention to join multilateral efforts to prevent military conflict in space and to negotiate an agreement to prohibit the testing of anti-satellite weapons. India welcomes this, he said. "We have a large number of communications and resource survey satellites currently in orbit. Although this does not fall strictly within the nuclear domain, the need to ensure the peaceful uses of outer space, is important for nuclear stability and international security," Saran said.

{My comment: How this translates to co-operation in developing ASAT weapons is something which I don't know.}

Pure DDM.

It is to PREVENT ANY anti-sat weapons. Saran was referring to "intention to join multilateral efforts to prevent military conflict in space and to negotiate an agreement to prohibit the testing of anti-satellite weapons".

Igorr · Post by **Igorr** » 27 Mar 2009 21:30

Hmm... strangely nobody is discussing here the development around MRSAM, Akash killing etc...
Isnt it interesting issue indeed?

UPA govt signs Rs10,000 cr Israel missile deal on the sly

sum · Post by **sum** » 27 Mar 2009 21:33

Igorr-ji,
Kindly check the missile thread..
The entire thread is buzzing with discussions on this one article..

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 27 Mar 2009 23:52

FEW words mr. SARAN is not fool sir

NRao wrote:
JaiS wrote: IMHO, the title below is misleading.

India willing to work with US on anti-satellite weapons

WASHINGTON: India, which is one of the few countries in the world to have significant space capabilities, is willing to work with the US to develop anti-satellite weapons, a top diplomat has said.

"This is an area of convergence on which we would be happy to work together with the US and contribute to a multilateral agreement," Shyam Saran, Prime Minister's Special Envoy, said in his address to the Brookings Institution.

Saran was referring to the recent announcements made by the US President, Barack Obama, about his intention to join multilateral efforts to prevent military conflict in space and to negotiate an agreement to prohibit the testing of anti-satellite weapons. India welcomes this, he said. "We have a large number of communications and resource survey satellites currently in orbit. Although this does not fall strictly within the nuclear domain, the need to ensure the peaceful uses of outer space, is important for nuclear stability and international security," Saran said.

{My comment: How this translates to co-operation in developing ASAT weapons is something which I don't know.}
Pure DDM.

It is to PREVENT ANY anti-sat weapons. Saran was referring to "intention to join multilateral efforts to prevent military conflict in space and to negotiate an agreement to prohibit the testing of anti-satellite weapons".

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 28 Mar 2009 01:10

Switzerland approves arms sale to India, says no to Pakistan

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 28 Mar 2009 04:50

http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/275/

For the Indian MoD to maintain that the three combat helicopters in the final shortlist do not meet their qualitative requirements would effectively imply that these requirements were either unrealistic, or rather tailored for a specific model that however did not made it to the shortlist. Indeed, the only in-service helicopter-launched missile in the world that would offer a range of at least 7km with a fire-and-forget mode is the AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire that equips the AH-64D Longbow Apache. Thus, an educated guess would be that the Indian military was not very happy with the AH-64D having fallen out of the competition. The move to cancel the ongoing process and announce a renewed procurement effort in the near future is clearly intended to offer Boeing a second chance, and the outcome of any new “competition” is already clear.

sunilUpa · Post by **sunilUpa** » 28 Mar 2009 05:35

Gerard wrote:http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/275/
For the Indian MoD to maintain that the three combat helicopters in the final shortlist do not meet their qualitative requirements would effectively imply that these requirements were either unrealistic, or rather tailored for a specific model that however did not made it to the shortlist. Indeed, the only in-service helicopter-launched missile in the world that would offer a range of at least 7km with a fire-and-forget mode is the AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire that equips the AH-64D Longbow Apache. Thus, an educated guess would be that the Indian military was not very happy with the AH-64D having fallen out of the competition. The move to cancel the ongoing process and announce a renewed procurement effort in the near future is clearly intended to offer Boeing a second chance, and the outcome of any new “competition” is already clear.

That's not entirely accurate. Both Tiger and Mangusta are certified to fire Hellfire, Australian Tigers are to be equipped with Hellfire. Mi-24N can fire Ataka, the 9M120M version has a range of 8 km.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 28 Mar 2009 07:28

sunilUpa wrote: That's not entirely accurate. Both Tiger and Mangusta are certified to fire Hellfire, Australian Tigers are to be equipped with Hellfire. Mi-24N can fire Ataka, the 9M120M version has a range of 8 km.

All those could be certified to fire hellfire, but would US allow us to buy those and equip them with their missile, when their own product hasnt been selected.

sunilUpa · Post by **sunilUpa** » 28 Mar 2009 07:48

krishnan wrote:
sunilUpa wrote: That's not entirely accurate. Both Tiger and Mangusta are certified to fire Hellfire, Australian Tigers are to be equipped with Hellfire. Mi-24N can fire Ataka, the 9M120M version has a range of 8 km.
All those could be certified to fire hellfire, but would US allow us to buy those and equip them with their missile, when their own product hasnt been selected.

Err why not? Aussies have their Tigers fitted with Hellfire. US (Lockmart) will make money from Hellfire.

But I don't think Tiger/Mangusta can fire Longbow version of Hellfire (mmw radar). But if that is the requirement, only MI-28N and Apache would have met the requirement.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 30 Mar 2009 05:31

Some excerpts from

Israel seals deal with song & dance

The company said it was announcing the deal now —March 26 — because the advance payment had been made, nearly a month after the contract was signed. Investigators are questioning a payment of $600 million on unspecified charges in the contract.

At its current value of $1.4 billion, the deal with the IAI outraces the Indo-Russian Brahmos to be the largest single arms joint venture between India and any foreign country.

The IAI is the systems integrator for the Rs 10,000-crore MR-SAM project and Rafael is the interceptor-missile maker which will jointly collaborate with the DRDO.

Rafael has outsourced its marketing to a company named Elul Technologies — headed by David Kolitz, a former senior employee — whose Asia wing is also headed by the former chief of Rafael’s Asia wing. Elul and Rafael are tapping into Indian expertise.

The expertise is offered by senior Indian Army and Indian Air Force officers who have retired recently and are networked with the bureaucracy of the defence establishment.

The MR-SAM, for which the DRDO will give the brains, the IAI will take the brawn from Rafael and put the two together and sell to India’s land forces with item numbers thrown in, will not be in small numbers.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 30 Mar 2009 06:05

This is from Josy Joseph, so take it with a bag of salt. The allegations are pretty serious. Some excerpts below.

Ex-IAF officer played key role

The deal, signed on February 27, just days before the general election was announced, had an unheard of clause for paying Rs600 crore (6% of the contract value) as "business charges".

While Israel's Elul Group is already under scrutiny, serious questions are also being raised about a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer who played a crucial role in formally proposing purchase of MRSAMs from Israel.

This officer was also responsible for scuttling the large-scale induction of the indigenous surface-to-air missile Akash.

DNA's investigation found that the IAF officer, who retired about two years ago, is now working for the Israeli arms industry in New Delhi.

Without naming the officer, Defence Research & Development Organisation chief M Natarajan told a press conference in Bangalore during the Aero India show last month that the officer had slashed his predecessor's commitment to induct eight squadrons of Akash missiles. The officer had brought the figure down to just two squadrons. Akash has a range of 27km, while MRSAM has a range of about 70km.

A source in the defence ministry confirmed that even for the induction of these two Akash squadrons, the IAF put a condition that the DRDO must first agree to the MRSAM project. "We were blackmailed into the MRSAM project," said the source.

DNA's investigation found that the IAF officer, who retired about two years ago, is now working for the Israeli arms industry in New Delhi.

Without naming the officer, Defence Research & Development Organisation chief M Natarajan told a press conference in Bangalore during the Aero India show last month that the officer had slashed his predecessor's commitment to induct eight squadrons of Akash missiles. The officer had brought the figure down to just two squadrons.

A source in the defence ministry confirmed that even for the induction of these two Akash squadrons, the IAF put a condition that the DRDO must first agree to the MRSAM project. "We were blackmailed into the MRSAM project," said the source.

The role of another IAF officer is also coming under scrutiny in this matter. He is associated with Nova Integrated Systems, the Tata-IAI joint venture which will be integrating the MRSAM.

Several officials in the defence ministry are baffled how a private-sector firm has been nominated as the integrator for the sensitive missile system. In India, all missile systems are integrated in public-sector units, usually Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

In fact, DRDO suggested BDL as the integrator for the MRSAM, with Israelis supplying the seeker and some radar components and DRDO making the airframe, servos, and propulsion. But Nova will be doing the integration now.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 30 Mar 2009 06:24

TATA Advanced Systems to Supply Surface to Air Missile Launchers to Indian Air Force

Indian Army to test Israeli defensive system suite on battle tank