THE commander of the Israeli air force, Gen. Herzel Budinger, is to visit India at the end of this month as part of Israel's efforts to sell a wide range of equipment to the Indian military-aerospace market.
Although officially the guest of his Indian counterpart, the tour is also a "business visit", say Israeli sources, aimed at helping Tel Aviv conclude a variety of deals with the Indian defence establishment.
Several possible sales are under discussion between the two countries, including the supply of Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles and the integration of the Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode radar into Mikoyan MiG-21s, to be upgraded with Russian avionics.
The Indians have also expressed an interest in Israeli avionics for their light-combat-aircraft programme (Flight International, 15-21 March).
All these issues will be brought up in discussions to be held between the Indian and Israeli air force commanders.
Source: Flight International
