DEFENCE: $1.5 BILLION DEAL MAKES INDIA TOP BUYER OF ISRAELI
ARMS
New Delhi, 3 Jan. (AKI/Asian Age) - India, with a record 1.5
billion dollars procurement of arms, has helped boost Israels
defence industries to record an all-time sales figure of 4.4
billion dollars in 2006. Military ties have flourished under the
current Congress Party-led government in India, with India emerging
as Israels largest client despite opposition by the Leftist
parties which support the ruling coalition government and who have
repeatedly urged the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to end
defence relations with Israel.
A top Israeli defence official, Maj. Gen. Yossi Ben-Hanan, who is
the head of SIBAT, the foreign defence assistance and defence
export department at the Israeli defence ministry, has been quoted
by the Jerusalem Post as saying that "India was Israels biggest
customer, with purchases reaching 1.5 billion dollars." This
included what the general described as Israels single largest sale
to a foreign country through the Israel Aircraft Industries, the
Barak Naval anti-missile defence system, which India has purchased
for 450 million dollars. Israel has had no hesitation in
identifying Indian support as one of the main reasons for its
emergence as one of the top five defence exporters in the
world.
Israel also appears to have equalled Russia as Indias largest
military hardware supplier despite entering the market only a few
years ago. Russian exports to India every year, according to
sources, is also in the range of 1.5 billion dollars, with the
defence relationship between the two countries having become
strained since Israels entry into the Indian market. Israeli
defence exports to India totalled 2.76 billion dollars in the
2002-2005 period, with 2006 registering a record 1.5 billion
dollars of sales. According to the US Congressional Research
Service, India has beaten China as the leading importer of
conventional weapons. In 2005 India spent 5.4 billion dollars on
defence equipment, against Chinas 2.8 billion dollars.
New Delhi remains tightlipped about the defence relationship with
Israel, which has gone "underground" as experts here put it after
the protests by Left parties. This has, however, not stopped New
Delhi from inking the deals and sending military delegations,
including those headed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal
S.P. Tyagi, and the vice-chief of the Navy, Vice-Admiral Venkat
Bharathan, to Israel in the past year.
Both sides have reaffirmed the strong military ties and agreed to
cooperate in research and development projects as well as more
defence procurements for advanced radars, long endurance and
high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle and electronic warfare
systems. News agencies have reported that missiles and anti-missile
defence systems remain the priority area.
Defence cooperation has been placed on the fast track by both
governments, with Israel selling 1 billion dollars worth of defence
goods to the US, against the 1.5 billion dollars of equipment
shipped to India.
Maj. Gen. Ben-Hanan said he was not particularly concerned about
the US entry into the Indian market, and that Israel would not be
in competition as "America sells fighter jets, tanks and
helicopters... and we do not compete with them." In fact, he
predicted an increase of sales to India as a result. At present US
defence exports to India is at a fledgling stage, in the 300
million dollars range. But the potential is being tapped, with the
US making no secret of the fact that it expects to accelerate
defence exports to India over the next couple of years.
The Indian government concluded a 220 million dollars deal
with Israel early last year for the supply of 50 Herons drones to
the Indian Army. These can fly at an altitude of 30,000 feet and
are equipped with surveillance technology and an automatic landing
and takeoff system. Under another 1.1 billion-dollar deal Israel is
mounting three Phalcon airborne radars on a Russian IL-76 platform
that is expected to be delivered by the end of 2007.
Apart from the visits of top military officials to Israel, there
have been several other goodwill gestures. Two Indian warships
docked in Haifa last year on a goodwill visit that a press release
issued at the time said "shows the importance India attaches to
growing India-Israeli relations and that continued cooperation and
engagement between the two countries is expected to grow."
The last warships visit to the port city was in 2004, under the
NDA government. India also sent Air Force personnel last year to be
trained for the Air Early Warning and Control aircraft (Awacs), of
which three are expected to be delivered this year.
India's external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, who was earlier
looking after the defence portfolio, was scheduled to visit Israel
last year but had to cancel his visit because the dates coincided
with a new Israeli offensive in Gaza at the time. The opposition
from the Left parties was also a reason, although Indian defence
officials admit that there has been no let-up in Indo-Israel
military relations because of this and the two governments are in
close contact.
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.372911258&par=0
I think Singapore's spending on Israeli arms have decrease over the
years but they are still one of our main suppliers and partners.
Anyone have figures of Singapore's dealings with Israel in arms?
