Indian air force Chief of Air Staff N.A.K. Browne is visiting Israel, a sign of deepening Indian-Israeli defense ties.
"This is a part of routine reciprocal visits between chiefs of various wings of the defense forces of the two countries," an Israeli Ministry of Defense official told The Times of India.
"The visit underlines a very strong strategic relationship between the two countries where cooperation with India would probably rank only second to the United States."
India is Israel's the largest purchaser of arms and equipment, with Israeli total defense equipment exports to India reaching $9 billion since 1997, The Times of India reported Monday. The Economic Times put the total value of the defense trade at $10 billion.
While the Russian Federation remains India's largest source of arms imports, the rapidly rising cost of spare parts for Russian equipment soaring 300-500 percent has increased Israel's market presence. Some analysts predict that Israel could soon overtake Russia as India's primary defense supplier.
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