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| India-Pakistan | |
| US Offers India $375m Deal for Smart Missiles | |
| 2008-10-05 | |
| WASHINGTON —The Pentagon has notified the US Congress of its offer to sell India CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons (SFW) worth $375 million to help the “Indian Air Force to develop and enhance standardisation and operational ability with the United States”. “This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship,” the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) told the US Congress on September 30, a day before the Senate approved the India-US civil nuclear deal. It will also help “improve the security of an important partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in South Asia,” the agency said, assuring lawmakers “the proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region”. The proposed sale comes three weeks after US offered India a $170 million deal for the sale of two dozen Harpoon air to ground anti-ship missiles during Defence minister A.K. Antony’s visit to Washington. “India intends to use the Sensor Fuzed Weapons to modernise its armed forces and enhance its defensive ability to counter ground-armoured threats. “The missiles will assist the Indian Air Force to develop and enhance standardisation and operational ability with the United States. India will have no difficulty absorbing these missiles into its armed forces,” the DSCA said.
The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $375 million. India, the agency said, has requested offsets for the deal, but at this time agreements are undetermined and will be defined in negotiations between India and the contractor. The prime contractor will be Textron Systems Corporation of Wilmington, Massachusetts. The SFW contains 10 BLU-108 submunitions, each with four smart Skeet warheads, for a total of 40 warheads. One SFW can simultaneously detect and engage many fixed and moving land combat targets within 121,400 sq mts. This wide-area capability enables the SFW to halt an invading force and attack air defence sites while significantly reducing the number of aircraft sorties, it says. Designed for stand-off deployment from a wide selection of aircraft, SFWÂ’s versatility and superior lethality make it the weapon of choice for anti-armour, destruction of enemy air defence and many other combat missions. SFW can be deployed from US or North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) tactical aircraft in all weather conditions, day or night, and is presently certified on most US Air Force fighter and bomber aircraft. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 Wait till Manmohan Singh orders 125 F-18s. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-10-05 20:04 |
| #3 develop and enhance standardisation and operational ability with the United States Hummmm........... /JOE! |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-10-05 18:40 |
| #2 I think the Himilayan they picked up a few months ago is still clawing the furniture and causing enough havoc for them. Couldn't happen to a more deserving group of commissars. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-10-05 18:25 |
| #1 China will have kittens over this. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-10-05 10:12 |