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    Categories: 2020

India Bests Poland And Russia To $40 Million Defence Deal With Armenia

Republic World, India
March 1 2020
Rest of the World News
Written By Misha Bhatt | Mumbai

In a major win, India has managed to bag a $40 Million defence export deal. Under the deal, India will supply four indigenously-built weapons-locating radars to Armenia. Russian and Polish firms were also in the race to bad the mega-deal. 

While interacting with a news agency, a government source said, "The deal is for supplying four Swathi weapon locating radars developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to Armenia in Europe."

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The supply of the equipment to Armenia has already begun under the 'Make in India' initiative and this is being considered as a big achievement. Reports also stated that Armenia had conducted various trials of the systems offered by Russia and Poland. Even though the Russian and Polish systems were good, they decided to ahead with the reliability of the Indian system. 

Under the $400 Million contract, India is required to supply four Swathi weapons-locating radars. The radars provide fast, automatic, and accurate location of enemy weapons like mortars, shells, and rockets in its 50-km range. It can also simultaneously handle multiple projectiles fired from different weapons at different locations.

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The Indian Army is also currently using the same Swathi weapon locating radars to carry out operations along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Using the radar, the army traces the source of attack by Pakistani positions. The Indian Army had trialled the system in 2018. 

As per the officials, this deal will open up a new market for Indian indigenous systems, which are considered to be reasonably priced as compared to its rivals. The Ministry of Defence is also eying various other orders from South-East Asia, Latin America, and Middle-Eastern countries to boos defence exports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of Rs. 35,000 crore for Indian defence exports.

Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS