Russia To Supply And License Production Of Igla Anti-Aircraft Missiles To India: Report
- Mikheyev said that Rosoboronexport and its partners in India had given Su-30MKI fighter jets, tanks, armored vehicles, and shells to the Indian Ministry of Defense.
- India and Russia also began making AK-203 Kalashnikov assault weapons together at the start of the year.
A top Russian arms export official told the Russian state news agency TASS on Tuesday that Russia has signed a deal to give India Igla-S hand-held anti-aircraft missiles and to let India make the Igla under a license.
The Igla-S is a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) that can be used by one person or a team to shoot down an enemy plane.
Alexander Mikheyev, head of the state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, told TASS, “We have already signed the needed document and are now working with an Indian private company to set up the production of Igla-S MANPADS in India.”
India buys the most weapons in the world, and Russia is still its biggest supplier, even though the war in Ukraine has hurt Russia’s army and weapons’ image. Russia has lost many battles to a smaller but more motivated and Western-equipped military in Ukraine.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says that between 2018 and 2022, India bought 45% of its weapons from Russia, 29% from France, and 11% from the United States.
As reported by RIA, another Russian state news agency, Mikheyev said, “Rosoboronexport is working with Indian private and public enterprises to set up joint production of aviation weapons and integrate them into India’s existing aviation fleet.”
There were no specifics given about which Indian companies would be involved or when production might begin.
Mikheyev said that Rosoboronexport and its partners in India had given Su-30MKI fighter jets, tanks, armored vehicles, and shells to the Indian Ministry of Defense.
India and Russia also began making AK-203 Kalashnikov assault weapons together at the start of the year.
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