Rafael will supply the Indian air force and army with a range of aerial systems under a new joint venture (JV) established with Reliance Defence.
It will cover the provision of air-to-air missiles, air defence systems and large aerostats and will be based at Dhirubhai Ambani Land Systems Park in Pithampur, India.
Reliance will be the majority shareholder with 51%, as per Indian government trade guidelines. The project will have an initial capital outlay of R13 billion ($200 million), excluding the cost of technology.
“The joint venture will provide big thrust into the field of indigenous production and development of high precision and state of the art weapon systems in India,” Rafael says.
Rafael will bring to the JV systems such as the Python and Derby air-to-air missiles, and the Spyder short-range defence system. It has already provided large surveillance aerostat systems to the Indian air force.
The two companies, through the JV, will offer the range of products to the Indian armed forces.
Based on current requirements, the JV will address multiple programs valued at R650 billion over the next ten years, Rafael says.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
