Boeing to deliver tactical missiles to India

03.09.2010 India tied contract with the US to buy 24 tactical missiles Harpoon Block II, reports Economic Times referring to Boeing representative Vivek Lall.

The contract was signed last month under Foreign Military Sales Program with Boeing as a major partner. The missiles are designed for Indian Navy's fighter flight", said Mr. Lall.

Presumable transaction value is $170 mln.

Harpoon Block II missiles are the latest modification of Harpoon antiship missiles which also capable to hit land targets. Depending of launch altitude and flight profile, maximum flight range of those missiles exceeds 120 km. They can be used against small- and medium-size surface ships.

According to Economic Times, missiles will be intended for Jaguar fighters. Alongside with that, it was reported that Harpoon's control equipment might be theoretically placed in Indian patrol aircrafts Il-38 and fighters Su-30MKI and MiG-29.

As for Vivek Lall, so far Boeing has not agreed with India about deliveries of missiles for long-range radar detection aircrafts P-8I.

In Jan 2009 India signed a $ 2.1 bln contract with the U.S. to procure 8 long-range radar detection aircrafts Boeing P-8I for Indian Navy which became the biggest deal in the history of military technical cooperation between the two countries. Up to then, the biggest Indian-American defense contract had been procurement of 6 transport aircrafts C-130 Super Hercules for Indian commandos to the amount of $962 mln.

Boeings will shift obsolete turboprop aircrafts Tu-142M which are presently in service in Indian Navy. American aircrafts will be armed with torpedoes, depth charges, and Harpoon antiship missiles. Indian Navy will obtain the first aircraft late 2012 or early 2013; the rest aircrafts will be delivered within the next three years.

Presently, Soviet/Russian-made aircrafts plus a number of French airplanes form the basis of Indian aviation.