New Delhi: Russia’s main armaments export firm and an Indian state-run defence company have signed an agreement to cooperate on jointly developing variants of the Pantsir air defence missile and gun system, a move aimed at bolstering the country’s air defence capabilities.
This is not the first time the Russian side has offered the Pantsir system, which combines missile and guns and is designed to defend small military, administrative and industrial facilities against aircraft and cruise missiles. It was a contender for an earlier Indian Army contract for self-propelled air defence systems that is yet to be finalised.
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a leading state-run defence firm, said on a post on X on November 8 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main weapons export agency, for “cooperation on Pantsir variants”. BDL did not provide details of the agreement.
The MoU was signed by Commodore (retired) A Madhavarao, chairman and managing director of BDL, and German Kovalenko, deputy director general of the naval department of Rosoboronexport, on the sidelines of a meeting of a sub-group of the India-Russia intergovernmental commission for defence cooperation in Goa.
The intergovernmental commission for defence cooperation, which is chaired by the defence ministers of the two countries, is expected to meet soon.
People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that the agreement is aimed at jointly developing new variants of the Pantsir system more suited to India’s needs. This follows India’s $5.4-billion deal with Russia in October 2018 for five batteries of the S-400 air defence systems. Russia has so far provided three batteries while deliveries of the remaining two have been delayed because of the war in Ukraine.
The Pantsir, which combines a short reaction time with the capability of a combat vehicle, can engage aircraft with its missiles at altitudes of up to 15 km and with its 30mm guns at altitudes of up to 3,000 metres.
Russia continues to be the main supplier of defence hardware to India, accounting for close to 60% of the weaponry used by the country’s armed forces.