India looks to Israel for new fighter’s air-to-air missiles

photo Rafael

2 February, 2015 By Arie Egozi - FG

At this stage in its procurement process, the Indian air force wants Israeli-made air-to-air missiles to hang under the wings of its new fighter aircraft. The Indian government has yet to make the final selection between the French Dassault Rafale and the Russian Sukhoi Su-30. But all indications are that there is a consensus among professionals about the air-to-air weapon. If the SU-30 is eventually selected to be the backbone of the Indian air force, the intention of New Delhi is to equip it with two Israeli-made, combat-proven air-to-air missiles. Both are manufactured by Rafael: one is the Python 5, a fifth-generation air-to-air missile; and the other is the Derby active radar missile.

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