Amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, Israel has played a major diplomatic strategy. Israel is now planning to manufacture the ‘Tamir’ interceptor missile, which is used in its famous ‘Iron Dome’ air defense system, in India. This project will be implemented under the ‘Make in India’ program of the Indian government. The report reveals that Israel’s major defense company ‘Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’, which manufactures the Iron Dome system, has finalized the plan for manufacturing this missile in India.
A large number of Tamir missiles are required during a war. Since Israel is a relatively small country, the factories there are at risk of being targeted by enemy missile attacks. If production is done in India, the supply chain can continue without interruption. If the missiles are manufactured in India on a large scale, its manufacturing costs will be significantly reduced. Israel has already been manufacturing missile equipment outside its country through the ‘R2S’ giant venture with the American company ‘Raytheon’. Now a similar agreement is going to be signed with Indian companies.
Big opportunity for Indian companies:
This project will provide huge technological benefits to India’s public and private defense industries. Public sector companies like Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and India’s growing private defense companies will be major partners in the manufacturing of this advanced missile. This agreement can help India emerge as a powerful arms exporter in the world. The demand for short-range air defense systems that can destroy rockets and drones in the air has increased due to the current conflicts in the Middle East and Europe. Some countries are hesitant to buy weapons directly from Israel due to political and diplomatic reasons, but the weapons being jointly manufactured in India will make it easier for Israel to sell in the global market.
According to the report, the approval of both the Indian and Israeli governments will be mandatory for the production of Tamir missiles in India and their export to other countries. This will work under bilateral agreements and export control regulations. India and Israel already have deep cooperation on ‘Barak-8’ missiles, radars and electronic warfare systems. Now the local production of ‘Tamir’ missiles will take India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission to a new height and further strengthen diplomatic and military ties between the two countries.
