The
opportunity for the transfer of a missile technology to India will be explored
within the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding recently signed with
Thales, with the support of the United Kingdom.
India’s Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a government
enterprise has signed an MOU with Thales, a French group specialising in
defense, to assess the opportunity for the transfer of technology of the
STARStreak missile capability to India with the support of the UK.
Through the MoU, Thales and BDL seek to jointly offer a “Make in
India” solution to help service growing international demand for this product,
according to Thales’s website.
The STARStreak missile is in service in the UK army and has been
procured by the defence forces of a number of countries worldwide.
The missile has the capability to defeat any air target, even
armoured helicopters as the last line of defence.
The STARStreak, which is the fastest missile in its category, is
equipped with three laser-guided darts, which cannot be jammed by any known
countermeasure. The missile operates at a speed in excess of Mach 3 to defeat
fast-moving threats and those with short unmasking times. The three-dart
‘hittile’ configuration maximises lethality. The highly-accurate laser beam riding
guidance enables engagement of low-signature targets and is immune to all known
countermeasures.
The missile system has already been integrated with a wide range
of Radar, IR Sensors, and Command and Control systems. It can be used in a Man
Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS) role as a single or multi-launcher
configuration and is also available integrated into both light and heavy High
Mobility Vehicles.
This initiative has the support of UK government, in the spirit
of cooperation between the two countries, including under the Indo-UK Defence
Equipment Cooperation MoU.
The association will play a strategic role not only in
supporting the “Make in India” vision of the India but also in giving a boost
to the bilateral relations between India and the UK.
Alex Cresswell, Executive Vice President for Land & Air
Systems activities at Thales, said: “We are thankful to the government of the
UK for their strong support to this initiative. Sharing technology has been one
of the key ingredients of Thales’ strategy for India. We would continue to work
in this direction and realise our objective to make in India and export from
India through such endeavours.”
Source :- iHLS
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