Cooperation with Israel in top gear

By Atul Aneja

JERUSALEM, JULY 1. As India's post-Kargil military modernisation gets into overdrive, military officials and senior bureaucrats involved in hardware purchases are arriving here in droves.

Israel has become a favoured destination for hi-tech imports in the areas of surveillance, communications and night warfare.

India's Director-General, Artillery, was here recently to Evaluate a future gun system which will follow the Bofors howitzers. The Director-General of the Border Security Force was also here last month to assess the utility of Israeli Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in countering internal security threats. Delegations from the Indian Air force and the Navy are also regularly here as decisions on acquiring airborne radar systems and anti-ship missiles enter the final phase.

Analysts, however, caution that in its enthusiasm to buy hardware with an Israeli tag, India may be compromising on circumspection and losing sight of more suitable alternatives available elsewhere.

Israel, according to sources, has already become India's second largest defence partner after Russia. Equipment for an estimated Rs. 2,000 crores has already been sold to India in the last three years. The list includes the Searcher UAVs for the Army. These platforms which can give on the spot information about enemy deployments by safely intruding its airspace were used with considerable success during the Kargil war. For instance, these birds gave pin-point information of the deployment of the Pakistani guns along the Line of Control in the Jammu sector. But their accuracy was somewhat degraded in the Ladakh sector because of the Searcher's low ceiling. Not surprisingly, the Israelis have now offered Searcher-II which can fly at higher altitudes. The army has decided to buy this equipment which has also been favourably viewed by the IAF. Israel's tireless UAV, Heron, which can fly round the clock has also been tried out by the Army. Besides surveillance and communication gear, the army has bought large quantities of ammunition including sophisticated anti-tank rounds from Israel.

The IAF also enjoys close ties with Israel. It has recently acquired lighting posts from the Israeli firm Rafale for its Mirage-2000 fleet. This equipment can illuminate ground terrain at night, aiding navigation and pin-pointed attacks during darkness. The Israelis are also involved in providing precision- guided equipment to the IAF. The Jaguar bombers, for instance, have been equipped with lasers to direct bombs with high accuracy at high value targets such as bridges or communication nodes. The IAF has also acquired missiles with a programmable flight path which can target key radars of the adversary from long distances. Besides, Israel has been a key player in modernising the IAF's ageing MiG fleet. A large component of the avionics required for upgradation of MiG-21s is from Israel. Along with France, Israel has transferred a variety of electronic items for the Russian SU- 30 planes which India is acquiring in batches.

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