Govt clears plan to buy Barak missiles from Israel
India will buy 131 Barak missiles and associated equipment from Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd for Rs460 crore
New Delhi: The defence ministry on Tuesday said it has cleared proposals to buy Barak missiles from Israel and precision-guided bombs from Russia for a total of Rs1,714 crore. The proposals were cleared by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
131 Barak missiles and associated equipment will be bought from Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd for Rs460 crore, a defence ministry statement said. These are surface-to-air missiles designed to be used as a ship-borne anti-missile defence system.
The second proposal cleared was for procurement of 240 bombs, at a cost of Rs1,254 crore from JSC Rosonboron Exports, Russia.
These bombs, which fall under the category of Precision Guided Munitions, are used by Indian Air Force (IAF).
“This procurement will address the deficiency of Precision Guided Munitions in the IAF arsenal, besides enhancing the offensive capabilities of the IAF," the ministry said.
In October, the defence acquisition council (DAC), chaired by Sitharaman, had approved buying 111 utility helicopters for the Indian Navy under the strategic partnership model. More such clearances are expected this year under this new model.
Under the strategic partnership model, the government will shortlist and then pick Indian companies to join forces with foreign firms to make fighter jets, helicopters, armoured vehicles and submarines. Indian firms Larsen and Toubro Ltd, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, Tata group and Adani group, among others, are likely to benefit the most from this new policy.
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