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Daniel Carmon, Israel Ambassador to India
Govt, firms keen to engage with Make in India initiative, says Israel envoy Daniel Carmon
MUMBAI, JANUARY 22:
Strengthening of defence collaborations between India and Israel have brought the two countries closer, according to Daniel Carmon, Israel’s Ambassador to India. With an estimated $10 billion spend over the past decade, India is the biggest buyer of Israel’s defence products.
Carmon was addressing a gathering at the Defence ‘Make in India’ Summit in Delhi at the Sam Manekshaw Center.
Speaking on relations with India, Carmon said, “The partnership with India is not just ‘another option’, it is almost a necessity today.” He went on to add, “In times when defence forces modify operations and recalibrate their way forward; in times when many militaries are becoming smaller by size but stronger by force, it is important to be innovative. It is crucial to optimise our effort...which brings down production costs and developments costs. And it leaves you with more advanced capabilities than what you could have had by going alone.”
Make in India
Stating that Israel has been following the Indian government’s initiative of ‘Make in India’, Carmon said Israel’s Defence Minister was in India last year and held extensive talks on the matter.
The Ambassador went on to add, “We have proven more than once in the past that we are open for the concept of transfer of advanced high technology and joint development. Both our governments as well as the Israeli companies that are implementing the projects, are ready to engage in this venture.”
Behind the US, Russia and France, Israel is the fourth largest country to have exported defence equipment to India.
In 2011-12, India imported defence equipment worth ₹7,845.62 crore from the US, according to responses given to a Lok Sabha question.
This shot up to ₹11,327.57 crore in 2012-13, and to ₹13,441.99 crore in 2013-14. The US tops the chart in terms of defence equipment imported by major countries. On the other hand, India imported defence equipment worth ₹1,296.21 crore from Israel in 2011-12. This slipped to ₹774.54 crore in 2012-13, and went up slightly to ₹1,234.65 crore in 2013-14.
Several collaborations
There have been several defence collaborations between the two nations. Recently, Secunderabad-based Premier Explosives signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to explore potential business opportunities. IAI, Israel’s largest aerospace and defence firm, specialises in developing and manufacturing advanced systems for air, space, sea, land, cyber and homeland security. IAI also designs and manufactures business jets and aero structures.
The agreement is set to leverage India’s operation of the Barak-8 medium-range self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, which was designed by IAI in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
At the end of last year, the Indian Navy said it had a much-needed missile defence shield for its frontline warships, following successful testing of an Indo-Israeli system. The Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM), called the Barak NG, had undergone a series of tests from INS Kolkata.
The Barak NGs were fired at ‘expendable aerial targets’, also known as remotely piloted unmanned rockets, in a repeat of the tests that were carried out earlier from an Israeli warship in the Mediterranean Sea in the presence of Indian military scientists.
Israeli drones
In September 2015, the Centre also approved the purchase of 10 Israeli-made armed Heron drones for around $400 million. The drones will be operated by the Indian Air Force, and would join its fleet of reconnaissance drones. The Indian Air Force also has a fleet of Harpy unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel, which are primarily used to destroy enemy radar positions.
As Carmon pointed out in his address, there were several examples of successful joints initiatives between Israel and India in the fields of defence. “LRSAM/Barak 8 is only one of them. We should strive to develop even further this unique partnership in defence.”
He went on to add that Israel is “willing to create more platforms of joint research and development to pinpoint shared challenges,...and even manufacture them together. Both sides have a lot to gain from this collaboration.”
(This article was published on January 22, 2016)
Defence ties with India ‘a necessity, not an option’ | Business Line
