New Delhi: India will send a request to the
United States for procuring the Javelin anti-tank guided
missile system, Lok Sabha was informed today.
"The Defence Ministry proposes to issue a Letter of
Request (LoR) to the US government under their Foreign
Military Sales (FMS) route for procurement of third generation
anti-tank guided missile along with transfer of technology,"
Defence Minister A K Antony said in a written reply to a
query.
He added that after issuing the LoR, India will take
further steps for procuring the missile system.
Both countries have been in talks for the sale of the
missile system to India after it was recently showcased to the
Indian troops during a bilateral exercise involving mechanised
forces of the two Armies in Babina Cantt near Jhansi.
Under defence deals through the FMS route, India doesn't
have to issue a global tender and the deal is done between the
two governments.
Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before
launch and automatic self-guidance. The system takes a
top-attack flight profile against armoured vehicles (attacking
the top armour which is generally thinner) but can also take a
direct-attack mode for use against buildings or
fortifications. This missile also has the ability to engage
helicopters in the direct-attack mode.
Answering another query, the Minister said during the
recently-held Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE), discussions were held on the
existing modalities of coordination in anti-piracy patrol and
sharing of capacities and expertise in disaster relief.
PTI
First Published: Monday, August 16, 2010, 18:37