FT, New Delhi yesterday agreed to buy the Israeli-made Phalcon early warning radar system, a move that will bolster India's conventional military superiority over regional rival Pakistan.
Indian, Israeli and Russian defence officials signed a memo that commits India's air force to buy Russian-made IL-76 aircraft, to be equipped with Israel's sophisticated “eye in the sky” radar system.
“This will be a force multiplier for us,” said Mahesh Upasni, Indian air force squadron leader. “It not only protects our forces but it gives us the lethal force required to counter enemy operations.”
The Phalcon, considered the world's most sophisticated airborne surveillance system, will allow aircraft to see deep into Pakistan while flying in Indian airspace.
Nuclear-armed India remains worried about Pakistan's growing nuclear arsenal, and accuses it of sponsoring militant activity in Kashmir, a Himalayan state in which both countries claim territory.
The Phalcon can monitor communications and radar activity as well as tracking aircraft. This would give India a clearer picture of activity at missile bases and of troop movements in Pakistan, which has no equivalent system.
Islamabad has expressed misgivings about the sale and some analysts fear the deal could prompt it to upgrade its nuclear capability to compensate.
The process to equip India's air force with early warning radars gained momentum this year when Washington permitted Israel to sell Phalcon to India.
Agreement in principle to the deal came during the visit to New Delhi last month of Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister.
