 |
| A S-125 Pechora air defense system in a parade in Azerbaijan 2013 (Image: Wiki Commons) |
Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI — India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to modernize its aging Russian Pechora air defense systems by using only domestic defense companies in accordance with the "Make in India" policy.
Last month, IAF issued a $272 million tender to digitize 16 Pechora systems, and the request for proposals was sent to domestic companies Tata Power SED, Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited, Offset India Solutions, Mahindra Defence Systems, state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited, and Bharat Dynamics Limited.
Currently Indian defense companies do not have the capability to digitize Pechora systems on their own and so they forge technical partnerships with overseas defense companies, according to a senior IAF official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The original equipment manufacturer of Pechora systems is Russia's Almaz-Antey, and all Russian defense companies only prefer to work with only state-owned defense companies," he said.
The Pechora upgrade program includes the refurbishment of its missile-guidance radar and the integration of its radar with an Integrated Area Command and Control System (IACCS). The upgrade will provide a fresh lease of life for ten years, the IAF official added.
Read the full story at DefenseNews