India’s geographical position, its territory, rich natural resources and the status of a major military and political power dictate the urgent need to have a reliable and capable national air defense system.

Expanding the mutually beneficial strategic partnership, Rosoboronexport, Russia’s major exporter of the entire range of the final defense and dual-use products and services, offers its strategic partner the best models of advanced air defense systems.

Military-technical cooperation between Russia and India dates back to 1960. Since then, owing to mutually beneficial partnership relations, 70 percent of weapons operational with the Indian army have been of Soviet and Russian origin, whereas the total domestic defense exports over the years of cooperation have exceeded US$ 60 billion. In particular, in 2013 Russian deliveries of weapons and equipment to India amounted to US$ 4.78 billion.

For decades, the strategic partnership between our two countries has been strengthening and new forms and areas of mutual cooperation have been emerging.

In particular, military technologies have been transferred to India first by the Soviet Union and then Russia for more than half a century since April 1963. With our technical assistance, five major aircraft and engine plants and 12 plants producing armored vehicles, weapons and ammunition have been built in India. No other state in the world is yet ready to transfer modern (including sensitive) technology to India for manufacturing defense products to the extent that Russia does.

Today, India is actively diversifying its defense procurement policy. Nevertheless, our countries still remain strategic partners: procurement of modern Russian weapons for the national armed forces continues, new areas of military-technical cooperation are evolving. India is currently interested in air defense systems, the area where Russia leads the world.

Among the most capable weapons meeting the Indian Ministry of Defense’s needs is the newest Tor-M2KM short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. Its successful tests ended in Russia in 2012 and today it is one of the most advanced systems in the world market.

The Tor-M2KM latest-generation highly automated, multi-channel SAM system was developed to counter massive air attacks by aircraft and helicopters and, which is especially relevant, to destroy PGW submunitions, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles flying at medium, low and extremely low altitudes. A battery comprising four Tor-M2KM combat vehicles is capable of simultaneously engaging up to 16 targets flying from different directions at ranges up to 15 km and at altitudes up to 10 km in any weather, day or night, even in a difficult air situation and when the enemy uses various countermeasures.

The Tor-M2KMs are delivered by Rosoboronexport on wheeled chassis and can be mounted on the Indian-made TATA truck chassis; they are also available in a modular version for the installation on semi-trailers, rail platforms, ships and barges, as well as on prepared ground sites. According to experts, no SAM system outside of Russia can match the Tor-M2KM in terms of operational effectiveness.

Automatic interaction between the combat vehicles operating in tandem is implemented at a new level. They share information and allocate targets between themselves. A high degree of automation has reduced the Tor-M2KM’s crew size to just two men (commander and operator), as well as facilitated crew training. It is of importance for countries where such SAM systems have not been previously in service.

The newest Pantsir-S1 air defense gun/missile system is another formidable barrier against air threats at short ranges With its capabilities, it can counter all types of modern manned and unmanned vehicles, including those carrying PGW. It can also be used to engage lightly armored ground and surface targets, enemy manpower. Its combined missile and gun armament can provide a continuous kill zone. This is one of the main distinguishing features of the Pantsir-S1. A battery consisting of six combat vehicles is capable of engaging up to 24 targets at ranges between 0.2 km and 20 km and at the altitudes of 0.005 km to 15 km. The system has a modular design and is available in self-propelled (wheeled or tracked) and container versions.

In addition, another Pantsir-S1 version, with guns removed and 18 SAMs instead of 12, is unmatched in the world today. The operational effectiveness of missiles has increased 1.5 times.

Upgrading obsolete equipment is the most economical way to improve the capabilities of armed forces, especially when it comes to combat-proven weapon models.

The Pechora (S-125) medium-range SAM system is well known abroad. At various times, several hundred Soviet- and Russian-made S-125s were exported to four dozen countries. On March 27, 1999, this SAM system knocked down an American F-117 stealth aircraft in Yugoslavia by firing two missiles.

Modernization of the SAM system to the Pechora-2M configuration conducted in Russia has involved the installation of its antenna post on a truck chassis and the replacement of all main equipment units with current production equivalents based on state-of-the-art components. A new truck-mounted command & control cabin (UNK-2M) also relies on state-of-the-art components. A distinctive feature of the UNK-2M is digital control, communications, and information display systems. Finally, a new transporter/loader vehicle (PR-14-2M) was introduced. The 5P73-2M launchers were also mounted on a vehicle chassis.

The upgraded SAM system offers significantly improved ECM immunity, longer target engagement range (32 km), and a higher single-missile kill probability (0.7 - 0.9).

The key factor of success today is not only firepower of combat vehicles, their speed and protection, but also the control systems’ capabilities, integration in the “networked battlefield” and a number of other, including economic, parameters – life-cycle costs, growth potential, the possibility of transferring technology for licensed production and even the possibility of jointly developing high-tech models of modern weaponry.

Given the latter component, Rosoboronexport is willing to join efforts with Indian partners to develop an integrated air defense system. This is yet another evidence of confidence and strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries.

But the world does not stand still. India is one of the world’s biggest arms importers. It is quite clear that its political and military leadership seeks not only to diversify its arms imports, but also establish a self-reliant national industry for the production of modern high-tech weaponry and military equipment. This is a natural process. That is why the prospects for Russian-Indian relations encompass joint design, development and production of competitive military products, as well as cooperation in the field of high technology. And no changes in the geopolitical situation can weaken our strategic partnership based on close, time-tested friendship, like the friendship between the Russian and Indian peoples.