India clears Rs 17,000-crore missile deal with Israel

NEW DELHI: A Rs 17,000 crore deal has been cleared by the government for jointly developing with Israel a medium-range surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM) for the army, reflecting India's fast growing defence ties with the Jewish nation. 

The project will be implemented by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation)and and Israeli Aircraft Industry (IAI).

The approval for the deal comes ahead of a possible visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to



Israel later this year. 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. 

A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the missile deal . 

The MR-SAM, a land-based version of the long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) for the navy, will have a strike range of up 70 km. The deal envisages 40 firing units and around 200 missiles.