Israel Concerned Over India Extending Relations With China, Russia
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Signs of new relations between India with both China and Russia have left the Israeli defense establishment concerned. India has made small but steady progress improving political and defense relations with both China and Russia, signing a border cooperation agreement with Beijing and agreeing with Moscow to purchase another nuclear sub. Yet both the border issue with China and a joint combat fighter effort with Russia has yet to be resolved.
In recent years India has become a major buyer of Israeli defense industries, signing huge contracts. The new tightening relationships may divert some budgets from Israel to Russia and China, according to Israeli sources.
India and China, on Oct. 22, inked the Border Defense Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Beijing. This established a formal mechanism to improve security along their 4,056-kilometer Line of Actual Control (LAC) which is the disputed border between the two countries.
According to Defense News an Indian official has said that the BDCA would help improve understanding between the armies stationed along the border because there will be regular meetings at a senior officer level. Border personnel will meet at designated positions along the LAC, and there will be periodic meetings between officials of the defense ministries, an Indian Defence Ministry official said.
iHLS – Israel Homeland Security
Meanwhile, Indian PM Singh and Russian President Vladmir Putin did not sign a new defense pact during their Oct. 20-22 meeting in Moscow, but Indian Defense Ministry sources said an agreement was reached to acquire another nuclear submarine.
The Navy will finance the construction of and then lease the Akula-class vessel for more than US $1.2 billion over its lifetime. Under the lease, Russia will handle maintenance and overhauls. India currently operates another Akula nuclear submarine, the Nerpa, which was inducted on lease from Russia in April last year.
The highlight of the new Akula submarine, which India hopes to induct in about four years, will be its ability to mount the Indo-Russian BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile, which has a range of 290 kilometers, said a Defense Ministry source.
Akula-class submarines are able to carry nuclear missiles that have a range of 3,000 kilometers, but the Nerpa is armed with the Klub missile that has a range of less than 300 kilometers. The Defense Ministry source said the agreement to lease the nuclear submarine would not be included in public joint statements but confirmed that an agreement has been reached.
