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The
portable radars are part of a big deal signed with Tel Aviv
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By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, October 8 (IslamOnline) - In a bid to beef up surveillance of
the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, India is importing
from Israel man-portable radars capable of detecting movement across
the border, as part of a big deal signed with Tel Aviv, according to
Indian media reports.
Under
the deal, New Delhi has already received the first of these 1,022
man-portable radars, which are capable of detecting human targets 10
kms away, according to Indian defense ministry officials. Most of the
portable radars would be delivered by the end of October 2002.
Though
India has already inducted these radars in some parts of the LoC, the
decision to go in for bulk purchase was taken after the Indian army
reported a big spurt in detections in infiltrations following the use
of these new sensors.
Officials
said the deal with Israeli company ELOP was for both short range 3000
to 4000 meter-range man-portable radars as well as long-range
observance and reconnaissance systems, after bids by French electronic
giant Thales and Sagem were rejected.
Officials
said the negotiations for other forms of close-range sensor detectors
with the United States were still in progress. "We are evaluating
the U.S. offer made directly by Pentagon," they said, adding that
India might opt for American systems as well.
The
idea to install sensors to detect cross-border infiltration gathered
momentum following a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
to South Asia in June 2002, on a mission aimed at cooling off tensions
between India and Pakistan.
The
issue of infiltration is at the core of the current military stand-off
between the two arch-rivals who have amassed around one million troops
on their common borders since January 2002.
The
portable radars would be used by border patrols, while the 10
kilometer range sensors would be installed in built-up defense areas
to observe attempts to infiltrate from a distance and chalk out an
effective strategy to intercept infiltrators, the official Indian news
agency, PTI, reported.
Indian
officials said the deal with Israel also covered the acquisition of
600 Elbit thermal-imaging systems to equip the Indian army's T-72 main
battle tanks and 300 Russian BMP-II armored personnel carriers.
Besides
the portable radars, India has also signed a deal with Tel Aviv to
acquire eight more Israeli Searcher-II unmanned air vehicles for
deployment in the mountainous regions of Kashmir to monitor
cross-border activity.
A
high-level Indian delegation headed by Defense Secretary Subir Dutta
visited Israel for a week in September 2002 to pursue a multi-million
dollar deal for acquisition of the Phalcon airborne radars and other
equipment. While in Israel, the Indian delegation was shown a live
demonstration of the Israeli man-portable radars.
Israel-made
thermal imagers have already been installed last summer along the
440-kms LoC to check infiltration into Kashmir. These thermal imagers,
each costing nearly $42,000, can track body heat emissions and have a
range of up to five kms.
India
has also decided to purchase long-range "Aerostat Programmable
Radars" from Tel Aviv.
The
Aerostat radars, which basically include sensors mounted on blimp-like
large balloons tethered to the ground with long cables, are a
long-standing requirement of the Indian air force. These radars, along
with AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems), will help bolster
India’s air defense capabilities.
