The two nations signed memoranda to bolster military ties at Asia’s biggest air show
By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia Editor
India will manufacture an Israeli strategic missile system domestically. Indian state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed a memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of Aero India 2023, a biennial air show and air defense exhibition held last week in Bengaluru.
Israel’s LORA (Long Range Attack) weapons system will be manufactured by BEL as the prime contractor, based on a workshare arrangement with IAI. LORA is a sea-to-ground and ground-to-ground quasi-ballistic missile system consisting of a missile launcher, a command and control system, and a ground/marine support system. It boasts multi-target capabilities and a precision of ten meters circular error.
Various other Israeli hardware was also on display during Aero India 2023, including air defense systems, unmanned aerial systems, aerial and ground precision-guided munitions, electronic warfare systems, land and naval solutions, avionics systems, and more.
At the event, the head of SIBAT (the Israeli Defense Ministry’s international cooperation directorate), retired Brigadier General Yair Kulas, acknowledged the 30 years of partnership between Israel and India, saying: “The Israel Ministry of Defense is happy to take part in the Aero India 2023 exhibition. The Israeli-made solutions are just a few examples of the cutting-edge technologies that Israel has to offer in the field of aerial defense.”
Russia showcases fighters, helicopters and drones at Asia’s biggest air show
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The two nations also signed a memorandum for cooperation on future supplies and joint production of maritime patrol radar systems for Indian platforms.
India is a lucrative weapons market for Israel, with the additional benefit of not causing as much concern for Israel’s top ally, the US, as any military deals West Jerusalem might have with China. According to the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, a Stockholm-based non-profit institute, India bought unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and radar systems worth $4.2 billion from Israel between 2001 and 2021. SIPRI data shows that 42.1% of all Israeli arms exports have made their way to India since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. The years between 2015 and 2019 saw a supply spike of 175%.
In particular, the Indian Air Force has acquired Israel’s Harop UAVs that act as cruise missiles by exploding into enemy targets and radars. Plans are also afoot to upgrade over half of the around 90 Israeli Heron surveillance UAVs in India’s possession at an estimated cost of over $420 million under ‘Project Cheetah’.
The defense cooperation between India and Israel stems from a similar threat perception, with New Delhi feeling threatened by Pakistan and China and West Jerusalem by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Syria and Palestinian militants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Ties were particularly bolstered during the Indo-Pakistani war over Kargil, Jammu and Kashmir in 1999, when Israel was one of the few countries to provide military assistance to India.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.
He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.
Trump said the United States was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.
The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has begun operating the world's first intelligent ultra-large oil tanker powered by methanol, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.
The tanker, designed to transport crude oil, was successfully put into operation in the city of Dalian in China's northeastern coastal province of Liaoning, the report said. State-owned company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd independently designed and built the vessel, it added.
The tanker is approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long and can carry around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, the CCTV reported. Designed to produce low emissions and having intelligent control capabilities, the tanker will serve the route to the Middle East, among others, according to the report.
The vessel is powered by a dual-fuel methanol engine, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 92% compared to conventional fuel, the CCTV reported. It is equipped with an intelligent ship platform, an intelligent liquid cargo ...
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
Source: The Investigative Committee
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense ...
