India reportedly signed a deal to purchase Russian missiles designed to target support aircraft, as its arch-rivals Pakistan and China continue to integrate their aerial weapons systems.
Russia has cleared the export of approximately 300 R-37M ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles in a deal valued at around US$1.2 billion, according to media reports.
Deliveries of the missiles could begin within 12 to 18 months, although India’s indigenous Astra Mk-2 and Mk-3 missiles are expected to become operational around the same period.
The R-37M is among the longest-range air-to-air missiles, with an operational range of 300 to 400 kilometers (185 to 250 miles), and is designed to strike airborne early-warning and tanker aircraft.
The missile can travel at six times the speed of sound and is intended for launch from Russian Su-30MKI fighters, a key component of the Indian Air Force.