DN - Defence Notes
Netanyahu to lead trade task force to India
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take 130 businessmen with him to India for trade talks which will also cover defence sales, a senior Israeli official said on 10 January.
Gilad Cohen, Israel’s foreign ministry deputy director general for Asia, said the six-day trip starting on 14 January was meant to further deepen political, trade and cultural ties.
India's defence ministry recently announced that it would buy 131 surface-to-air missiles from Israel. The Barak missiles made by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems are to be used for India's first aircraft carrier which is under construction.
But at the same time, Rafael said India had cancelled a separate $500 million deal to purchase Spike anti-tank guided missiles.
Rafael executives are said to be in the trade delegation accompanying Netanyahu.
Gilad Cohen said: ‘The prime minister will be talking (to his hosts) on the whole range of issues which make up relations between Israel and India: water, agriculture, energy, culture, innovation, also defence.’
Israel is a major weapons supplier to India, selling it an average of $1 billion of military equipment each year.
In April 2017, the two countries signed a military deal worth nearly $2 billion which includes the supply over several years of medium-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and communications technology.
Netanyahu's India trip comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in July 2017, the first ever by an Indian premier.
More from Defence Notes
-
Key themes at FIA 2018 | Raytheon
There will be a number of key themes that companies such as Raytheon will be highlighting this week at Farnborough International Airshow 2018. Studio will ...
-
Insight: The East China Sea’s ‘Knuckle Junction’
Any successful military campaign by the Chinese military to capture and secure Japan’s Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea could lead to an ‘existential ...
-
Farnborough 2018: Business and the Brexit decision (video)
With Brexit looming large, the prospect of its impact on the defence sector and the UK's place politically and militarily will likely dominate discussions during ...
-
US Army Futures Command heads to Texas
The army has announced that the location for the new Army Futures Command (AFC) will be Austin, Texas following extensive examination and visits to cities ...
-
UN set to impose arms embargo on South Sudan
The UN Security Council will vote 13 July on imposing an arms embargo on South Sudan and sanctions on two military officials after the latest ...
-
Farnborough 2018: Carter leads charge on interoperability
Four weeks in to his new role, Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen Sir Nick Carter was adamant that the nation must ensure profound interoperability ...