NEW DELHI: A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy said the AN-TPQ/37 counter-battery radars, which arrived here aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft, were delivered to the Indian Army. The $190 million deal for the radars, concluded last year, was the first major defence contract between India and the U.S. in several decades. It came in the wake of a dramatic improvement in defence ties between the two sides and was concluded under the "foreign military sales" route, in which the U.S. administration procures the equipment from the American manufacturer and supplies it directly to the buyer country. Announcing the delivery of the two radars, U.S. Ambassador Robert D. Blackwill said: "U.S.-India cooperation in defence and other high technology areas holds much promise, and our partnership on the Firefinder radars marks a significant milestone in our burgeoning bilateral defence relationship." The mobile radar system uses a combination of radar techniques and computer functions to detect and accurately locate enemy artillery and rocket weapons to permit rapid engagement with counter-fire. Indian defence officials have indicated the Firefinder radars will be deployed along the 742-km Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir which witnesses frequent artillery duels between Indian and Pakistani troops. They can then be used to accurately pinpoint Pakistani artillery positions without causing damage to any nearby civilian facilities. In May and November 2002, Indian defence ministry officials signed letters of agreement to purchase the 12 radars. Delivery of the radars will be completed by September 2006. Sixteen Indian Army personnel were trained in California in using the sophisticated radars in April.
Source: IANS