ARIE EGOZI / TEL AVIV
Countries plan to finalise agreement during Sharon visit to New Delhi next month
Israel and India could sign a deal for three Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Phalcon airborne early warning aircraft in September following the USA's approval of the sale.
Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is due to visit New Delhi next month, with the two sides now making attempts to finalise the deal to allow contract signature during the trip.
The visit is intended to further strengthen the two countries' defence ties. Hindustan Aeronautics and IAI have an agreement to develop a glass cockpit for the Dhruv light helicopter, while India has also bought Israeli unmanned air vehicles and weapons.
The US State Department declared last week that Washington no longer opposes the deal. In April, the USA threatened to block the deal in a similar way to which a Phalcon sale to China had been embargoed.
As with China, the Phalcon system will be mounted on a modified Ilyushin Il-76 transport, but is understood to be more advanced than that offered to Beijing.
IAI will not release details of the system, but it is understood that the radar, the Phalcon's main sensor, will be able to detect targets at longer ranges and perform identification at these ranges.
The electronically controlled phased-array radar will have an improved antenna with upgraded transmit/receive module, to boost its performance.
The package for India also includes electronic and communications intelligence sensors.
Source: Flight International
