Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS), a joint venture between Israeli defense giant Rafael and India’s Kalyani Group, has begun the delivery of the first batch of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) kits to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Army.
Considered another sign of growing military ties between Israel and India, the rollout marked KRAS’ commitment to delivering more than 1,000 MRSAM ‘missile kits’ to the Indian armed forces.
Following the deliveries, the missile sections will then be ‘forwarded’ to Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for further and future integration.
Founded in 1970 in Hyderabad, Telangana, Bharat Dynamics Limited is one of the country’s manufacturers of ammunitions and missile systems.
KRAS is India’s first private sector missile sub-systems manufacturing entity. The Hyderabad-headquartered joint venture is seen as a perfect blend of Rafael’s state-of-the-art technology and Kalyani Group’s engineering excellence.
Baba Kalyani, chairman-cum-managing director of the Kalyani Group, said, “This is beginning of a new era, filled with self-confidence, a marked step-change in technological expertise and a collective demonstration of capability to be the global manufacturing hub for defense products,
“We are confident to complete the order far ahead of the stipulated time, and support the armed forces with the best in class missile kits. Apart from the missile kits, we will extend our support in Maintenance and Repair Operations (MRO) as in-service Air Defence Missile System for the armed forces.”
Brigadier General Pinhas Yungman, head of the Air and Missile Defense Systems division of Rafael Advanced Defense System, also spoke on the occasion.
“We have been a reliable partner to the Indian armed forces for almost three decades, and these missile kits are a testimony of our commitment to ‘Make in India’ cause.”
“We are confident KRAS will not only build products for the Indian armed forces but will, at the same time, trigger and help achieve the Indian government’s vision of exports from India,” said Yungman.
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