India Signs Rs 200 Crore Anti-tank Missile Deal With Russia

This Rs 200 crore deal would give an added capability to the Mi-35 attack choppers to take out enemy tanks and other armoured elements.

India has signed a Rs 200 crore deal with Russia to acquire 'Strum Ataka' anti-tank missile for its fleet of Mi-35 attack helicopters, in order to keep itself battle-ready in situations like the one post-Balakot aerial strikes. (ANI)

India-Russia anti-tank missile deal: India has signed a Rs 200 crore deal with Russia to acquire 'Strum Ataka' anti-tank missile for its fleet of Mi-35 attack helicopters, in order to keep itself battle-ready in situations like the one post-Balakot aerial strikes. ANI quoted government sources saying that this deal for acquiring 'Strum Ataka' anti-tank missiles was signed with Russia under the emergency clauses through which the missiles would be supplied within three months of contract signing. The deal was signed with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the bombs are expected to be supplied in the next three months, the sources said. This Rs 200 crore deal would give an added capability to the Mi-35 attack choppers to take out enemy tanks and other armoured elements. The Mi-35s are the existing attack choppers of the Indian Air Force and are set to be replaced with the Apache gunships being acquired from the US.  They are slated to be delivered from next month onwards, reported ANI. Also Watch- India has been trying to acquire the Russian missiles for a long time but the deal has been signed under the emergency provisions after more than a decade. Earlier this year, IAF had acquired the SPICE-2000 stand-off weapon system along with a number of spare and air to air missile deals with multiple counties under the emergency provisions to equip itself for sudden war. SPICE-2000 is used on French-origin Mirage-2000 jets and is the biggest conventional bomb that can be delivered by IAF. Also Watch- Now, the Army is in the process of acquiring the Spike anti-tank guided missile from France and Igla-S air defence missiles from Russia under the emergency provisions. The emergency powers were given to the forces within few weeks after the February 14 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. (With inputs from ANI)