India suddenly buys 1,000 missiles from Russia to deal with Pakistan
India's missile stockpile was depleted after air battles with Pakistan in February, forcing the country to buy nearly 1,000 additional missiles from Russia.
An anonymous Indian defense official revealed yesterday that the country's air force is urgently ordering a batch of Russian missiles worth 700 million USD to equip its MiG-29, Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000 fighter squadrons.
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| RVV-AE missile installed on an Indian Su-30MKI fighter in 2015. Photo: IAF. |
New Delhi wants to buy 300 R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles and 400 RVV-AE medium-range air-to-air missiles, along with an unspecified number of Kh-31P anti-radar missiles. The decision is to replenish the missile stockpile, which was depleted after a large-scale air battle with Pakistan on February 27.
The Indian Army has also asked Russia to supply more weapons such as missile launchers and multiple rocket launchers. "New Delhi is negotiating the terms of the contract with Moscow and the deal will be finalized soon," the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
India and Pakistan witnessed the biggest air battle between the two countries since 1971, when many fighter jets of both countries clashed in the skies over the disputed Kashmir region on February 27. Fighter jets of both sides fired various types of missiles at their targets, but only one Indian MiG-21 fighter jet was shot down, forcing the pilot to eject and be taken prisoner.
After the air battle, the Indian Air Force faced a lot of criticism for its combat effectiveness, forcing them to make some tactical adjustments and deploy more modern Su-30MKI fighters closer to the border. New Delhi also made efforts to improve the combat capabilities of its fighter squadron.
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