Israeli defence firm CEO says India among strongest partners in UAV development, assures full support for New Delhi's future decisions

Tel Aviv [Israel], December 1 (ANI): Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) CEO Boaz Levy on Monday said India had been one of the company's strongest partners in defence development and that this cooperation had helped build a long-standing defence partnership between the two countries.

He also affirmed that IAI would support any future decisions taken by New Delhi on defence procurement.

Speaking to ANI, Levy highlighted joint work on unmanned aerial vehicles and noted that several major systems were being developed with India, including the Barak MX. He also said the world's first UAV came from IAI.

"Heron is an IAI product. We were the pioneers of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The first UAV in the world came out of IAI premises, and we are very proud to say that India was one of our best partners for that," Levy said.

He further affirmed that IAI would continue to work closely with India on any future requirements.

"We are very proud to take a major role in this effort, and I leave the decision-makers in India to decide whether to purchase. We will always be part of it and always support their decisions," he said.

"... IAI and India have been working together for a long period of time. We build many systems together. For instance, the Barak MX, a system being developed with DRDO and with participation from many industries in India. The Barak system was very active in the Israeli conflict, and also in your conflicts. Together, we are bringing together a state of mind for ballistic missile defence and air defence, along with radar observation capabilities, enhancing the capabilities of Israel and India and creating new assets to defend our borders," Levy told ANI.

The Indian armed forces are set to buy more Israeli Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) drones after their successful use in Operation Sindoor earlier this year and plan to arm them with air-launched Spike anti-tank guided missiles.

The Indian armed forces already operate a large fleet of Heron drones across all three services, the Army, Navy and Air Force, from their respective bases.

Intelligence agencies also use Herons for specialised operations.

Defence officials have told ANI that the forces are placing new orders to acquire additional Heron drones, which were effectively deployed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May this year.

The officials further said efforts are underway to weaponise these drones. One wing of the armed forces is working on equipping Herons with Spike-NLOS (non-line-of-sight) anti-tank guided missiles, which will give them the ability to strike enemy targets during future conflicts.

The Heron drones are primarily used for long-range surveillance on both the Chinese and Pakistani borders and have proved highly effective.

India has also been acquiring the advanced Heron Mark 2 drones in recent years. These upgraded UAVs are equipped with satellite communication systems, enabling them to fly longer missions with extended ranges.

The armed forces have projected a long-term requirement of nearly 400 MALE drones over the next 10-15 years to meet the country's security needs. (ANI)

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