New Delhi, Sept 08: Though no major deal is likely to be inked, the high-powered defence delegation accompanying the Isreali Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on his first state visit here has a heavy schedule laid out during intensive bilateral meetings. "The two countries are going to have intensive defence dialogue ranging from New Delhi's negotiations to procure the Phalcon Awacs system to talks on arrow anti defence missile system and the proposed joint ventures on building in India of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for all the three services", Defence Ministry officials said.
Sharon would be accompanied by a 15 member Israeli defence delegation consisting of officials from Israeli Defence Minisry and chief executives of country's leading defence majors.
These include chairman of state owned Israeli Aircraft Industries(IAI) Moshe Keret, chairman of Rafael Jacob Toren Maj Gen Amos Yaron, Director General of Israeli Ministry of Defence and Gen Arie Mizrachi, chairman of the Board of Israeli Military Industries (IMI).
Also prominently represented in the Israeli delegation are from Elta and Elbit Systems, the two companies who for the past two years have done business with Indian armed forces worth over 2 billion USD supplying human movement detecting sensors for Jammu and Kashmir and travos light arms for India's special forces.
Bureau Report