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
Read more Russia showcases fighters, helicopters and drones at Asia’s biggest air show
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.
China has suspended several 2025 export controls on strategic materials — including rare earths, superhard materials, and lithium batteries – for a year. Is this a concession to the US, or a move in a far more complex game?
"The first aim of China’s export controls was to consolidate its leverage in negotiations. The second was to establish a long-term framework for managing such controls," says Yana Leksyutina, deputy director at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).
Сhina could activate this mechanism at any moment, and now everyone knows it’s a lever it holds, she explains to Sputnik.
Balancing the Mineral Market
"The moratorium on export bans to the US essentially resets the rare earth market to where it was previously," Jeff J. Brown, author of 'The China Trilogy' and founder of Seek Truth From Facts Foundation, tells Sputnik.
In the meantime, there will be a global rush by the US and its NATO allies to acquire as many rare earth ...
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The impact of the ongoing federal shutdown on the US economy is far worse than expected because it is lasting much longer than anticipated, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on Friday.
"The impact on the economy is far worse than we expected, because it's gone on for so long," Hassett told Fox Business. "I think we were thinking that we could have at least 3% [GDP] growth in the fourth quarter. I think now we're expecting something like half that because of the harm [caused] by the Democrats' policy.".......more here
https://sputnikglobe.com/20251107/federal-shutdown-hitting-us-economy-harder-than-expected--white-house-1123074810.html
Dozens of Palestinians, foreign activists, and journalists have been wounded as Israeli army-backed settlers carried out coordinated assaults across the occupied West Bank.
The attacks took place on Saturday, with the biggest number of the casualties, namely 17 people, being caused after settlers raided the outskirts of the Abu Falah village, northeast of the city of Ramallah, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. Those injured included foreign activists.
According to the agency, settlers also torched a home, while Israeli forces attacked the area, targeting the residents, who had gathered near the scene. The latter incident, though, did not lead to any casualties.
In another wave of violence, settlers launched attacks on Palestinian farmers, journalists, and foreign activists participating in the annual olive harvest across several towns, leaving many with fractures and bruises.
The attacks were most severe in Beita, south of Nablus, where settlers descended from nearby outposts and ambushed ...
