Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has announced it signed a $630 million contract with to provide India’s Navy with four vessels equipped with air and defense missile systems.
Last week, state-owned IAI successfully tested its Barak-8 long-range surface-to-air missile system (LRSAM) from an Indian Navy ship, proving the jointly-designed system was able to identify an aerial threat and destroy it.
The Barak-8 was developed with India’s Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO), Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, Rafael and other companies. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) produces the missiles for the system.
This is the first time Israel will do business with Bharat Electronics Ltd., a state-owned Indian company.
IAI Director-General Yossi Weiss said in a statement the deal strengthens “the company’s status as a global leader in the domain of aerial defense systems.”
India is the largest buyer of Israeli military equipment, and Israel is the third largest defense supplier to India.
