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BANGALORE - As the India-Israel relationship continues to expand and deepen, defense remains the area setting the pace. India is the largest customer for Israeli-produced defense ware, with imports of more than $8 billion since 1999, and Israel ranks either first or second (behind Russia) as the top supplier of arms to India, depending on the source. The equipment Israel has supplied includes unmanned aerial vehicles, anti-missile defense systems, night vision goggles, and advanced radar capabilities.
India is now considering the purchase of two Israeli "Green Pine" (Oren Yarok) long-range radar systems produced by Elta Systems. Now that the U.S. has dropped its objections to the deal, Israel is going ahead with a $1.1 billion sale of three Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control system) surveillance aircraft. The deal -- originally signed in March 2004 -- will be completed with the delivery of the three aircraft by the middle of the year, according to Israeli officials.
Joint ventures between the two countries are also blossoming, including the development of the Barak-2 medium-range surface-to-air missile for the Indian Navy and a longer range variant of 120 kilometers for the Israeli Air Force. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Indian conglomerate Tata signed an agreement on February 17, 2008, for a joint venture responsible for the development, manufacture and marketing of a wide range of defense products in India.
Like Israel, India shares borders with adversaries and also suffers from domestic terror attacks. Hoping to glean expertise from Israel's experience, India has asked Israel to train four battalions of nearly 3,000 Indian soldiers for specialized anti-insurgency capabilities. As part of the agreement, India signed a $30 million contract with Israel Military Industries (IMI) for 3,400 Tavor assault rifles and 200 Galil sniper rifles, plus night vision gear and laser rangefinding and targeting equipment.
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