India-Israel Defence Deals 2020

 

India-Israel Defence Deals 2020

●To deterrent threats from the neighbouring countries such as China, Pakistan, Nepal and amid the escalating tensions at the border with China, the Indian Government is strengthening its defence system. 

●The Government of India is strengthening its strategic relationship with Israel. 

SPICE-2000 bombs

◆Amid escalating tensions with China, the Government of India is planning to procure more SPICE-2000 bombs. These will be an addition to the ones acquired last year. India used them last time in the airstrikes in Balakot, Pakistan.

◆SPICE stands for Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective. The bomb comes from a family of standoff air-to-ground weapon systems. These bombs are used on Mirage-2000 jets. 

◆If we go by the name, SPICE-2000 bombs indicate to be a bomb, but actually it is not. It is a guidance kit attached to a standard warhead or bomb. It has two pieces attached to it-- one is attached to the bomb's head and the other one is attached to the tail. SPICE-2000 bombs turn the bomb into a smart device so that the bomb can glide in the air easily and make minor adjustments to precisely hit the target.

◆Once a target is decided, the data such as GPS coordinates of the target, satellite images of the target, information about the land around the target and the angle at which the bomb should strike the target are stored into a memory chip before carrying out a mission. 

Barak-8 MRSAM missile kits

◆Israel's state-owned company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and India's  Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd. India (KRAS) have signed a deal for $100 million. Under this, 1,000 Barak-8 MRSAM missile kits will be manufactured for Indian Army and Air Force. This deal is signed under PM Modi's 'Make in India' vision. 

◆It is a land-based configuration of the long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) or Barak-8 naval air defence system. Each system will have a command and control system, tracking radar, missiles and mobile launcher systems. The missiles can be fired in two modes-- single and ripple firing. 

HAROP Suicide Drones

◆The Government of India planned to procure 15 HAROP Suicide Drones last year from Israel. This will enhance the Indian Air Force's warfare capabilities. 

◆In September 2009, India made a deal for $100 million to procure HAROP drones developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). 

◆As per IAI, HAROP is a small drone which having capabilities of a UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] and a lethal missile. This drone is small enough to bypass the enemy aircraft detection system. 

◆The drone first searches then identify and loiter above targets before attacking and destroying them. If a target is not found, it returns back at its base. It also consists of munition units, transportable launchers and a mission-control shelter where the operator can approve or abort attacks. 

◆The drone can be launched either at sea level or on land, either vertically or horizontally. 

●In addition to this, India and Israel have also discussed 'Project Cheetah' to strengthen Indian Armed Forces by enhancing its surveillance capabilities and inducting upgraded high-level attack drones.

Light Machine Guns

●The Government of India has signed Rs 800 crore deal with the Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) to procure 16,479 Negev 7.62x51 mm light machine guns (gas-operated) for the Indian Armed Forces. ●These machine guns are used as squad automatic weapons and will enhance the lethal power of a soldier along with his range. 

●The light machine guns have improved lethality and range over the one currently used by the Indian soldiers. 

●The weight of the said LMG is 7.95 kg without the magazine and other accessories have a length of 1,100 mm, retracted length of 1,030 mm.

●The LMG can fire 600 rounds in the semi-automatic mode and 750 in the fully automatic mode. The magazines used can either be 100 or 125-round assault drum or an ammunition belt.

●LMG (light machine guns) were first used in World War II and were later introduced by IWI in the year 2012. The Negev LMG is inducted by Israel as well as several other Defence Forces around the globe.