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Indian, Israeli firms to cooperate on missile system
Wednesday, 05 November 2003, 20:30 IST
NEW DELHI: An Indian state-run firm that makes a range of missiles, including the nuclear-capable Agni ballistic missile, is in talks with several Israeli companies for joint production of missile components and sub-systems.
Maj. Gen. (retired) P. Mohandas, chairman and managing director of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), said his firm had manufactured two missile sub-systems for Israeli companies and sent them for trials.
"The Israelis also want sights for anti-tank missiles, and have asked us to make prototypes," he said at a news conference here Tuesday, adding that the Israeli firms would outsource the making of the components to BDL when they bagged major orders.
BDL, which was set up in 1970 and registered a sales turnover of 
2.77 billion in 2002-03, was looking at providing outsourcing services for foreign manufacturers of military hardware to make better use of its manufacturing capabilities, Mohandas said.
Besides indigenously developed missiles like the Agni and Prithvi, BDL also makes missiles like the French-designed Milan and Russia's Konkurs under licence at its factories in Andhra Pradesh.
After getting the government's clearance for exports this year, BDL was making "concerted efforts to find foreign markets", Mohandas said.
But he noted that the firm was not permitted to export missiles like the Agni and Prithvi that were developed under India's integrated guided missile development programme that began in 1983.
Missiles like the Milan and Konkurs too could not be exported without the permission of the original manufacturers, he noted.
These factors had forced BDL to look at the possibility of providing outsourcing services.
BDL will also embark on a programme in January to refurbish the Indian armed forces' huge inventory of missiles, a majority of them of Russian origin.
"These missiles, including the Pechora and Osa-AK, have a life of about 10 to 15 years, beyond which they become unreliable," Mohandas said.
"A country like India can't replenish such a huge stock of missiles, so we will upgrade them."
The cost of this programme would run into billions of rupees, but the cost of refurbishing the missiles would be about 20 of their original cost.
Mohandas noted that BDL had also ventured into several new areas, like the development of a rocket booster for assisting the takeoff of unmanned aerial vehicles, a device for air force jets to counter heat-seeking and radar-guided missiles and a lightweight torpedo for the navy.
"The counter-measure dispensing system developed for the air force will undergo trials in December before it goes into production. The system also has export potential," he said.
Source: IANS
2.77 billion in 2002-03, was looking at providing outsourcing services for foreign manufacturers of military hardware to make better use of its manufacturing capabilities, Mohandas said.
Besides indigenously developed missiles like the Agni and Prithvi, BDL also makes missiles like the French-designed Milan and Russia's Konkurs under licence at its factories in Andhra Pradesh.
After getting the government's clearance for exports this year, BDL was making "concerted efforts to find foreign markets", Mohandas said.
But he noted that the firm was not permitted to export missiles like the Agni and Prithvi that were developed under India's integrated guided missile development programme that began in 1983.
Missiles like the Milan and Konkurs too could not be exported without the permission of the original manufacturers, he noted.
These factors had forced BDL to look at the possibility of providing outsourcing services.
BDL will also embark on a programme in January to refurbish the Indian armed forces' huge inventory of missiles, a majority of them of Russian origin.
"These missiles, including the Pechora and Osa-AK, have a life of about 10 to 15 years, beyond which they become unreliable," Mohandas said.
"A country like India can't replenish such a huge stock of missiles, so we will upgrade them."
The cost of this programme would run into billions of rupees, but the cost of refurbishing the missiles would be about 20 of their original cost.
Mohandas noted that BDL had also ventured into several new areas, like the development of a rocket booster for assisting the takeoff of unmanned aerial vehicles, a device for air force jets to counter heat-seeking and radar-guided missiles and a lightweight torpedo for the navy.
"The counter-measure dispensing system developed for the air force will undergo trials in December before it goes into production. The system also has export potential," he said.
Source: IANS