Indo-Israeli partnership for new missile shield

By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 5. India is developing with Israeli help, a new multi-layered shield to counter ballistic missile attacks.

According to highly-placed sources in the Government, India is working on integrating its indigenous Akash missile and the Israeli Arrow-2 system to build a comprehensive cover against attack by ballistic missiles and planes.

India has to build a fool-proof missile shield, taking into account the presence of ballistic missiles including the Chinese M-11 and variants of the M-9 missiles with Pakistan. Pakistan has also adapted the North Korean Nodong-1 as Ghauri missile into its arsenal. It is also working the longer range Shaheen-2 missile.

India is looking at acquiring a capability to counter a missile attack by ensuring that the Arrow-2 system first destroys incoming missiles when they are still very high. In fact, the Arrow-2 system can strike a missile which is flying at a height of 48 km. from the ground. The Akash, in turn, has a lower target range of 27 km.

The Arrow-2 system can spot a missile nearly, 300 km. away, mainly on account of the Arrow's Greenpine phased array radar, developed by the Israeli firm, ELTA. Phased array radars can spot targets much faster than conventional radars. The extra time gained from this can be used to launch a second missile strike, in case the first launch fails to hit its target.

The new project which is headed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) revolves around networking the phased array Rajendra radar of the Akash with the Greenpine radar. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is deeply involved in this exercise, sources say.

The Arrow-2 is a state-of-the-art missile which became operational in Israel only in October last. Around 60 per cent of the over $ one billion project has been funded by the U.S. Significantly, the technology generated by the Arrow project is useful in the U.S. for building its new Ballistic Missile Defences (BMD). In fact, the U.S. is interested only in acquiring know-how generated by the Arrow-2 and is reportedly not keen on acquiring the full system. Not surprisingly, the BMD organisation of the U.S. has been in charge of overseeing the Arrow-2 project.

The new Indo-Israeli project reflects the doctrinal accent of the Indian armed forces to prevent destruction by nuclear or non- nuclear ballistic missiles.

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