India calls off missile deal with Israel 

India calls off missile deal with Israel 

Context

India has called off an order to buy Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel’s state-owned defence contractor Rafael

The deal had been worth about $500 million

The deal was worth about $500 million and its termination came ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India.

Barak missiles coming though

• India will buy 131 Barak surface-to-air missiles built by Rafael.
• The 4.6-billion-rupee ($72 million) order follows up an earlier purchase of Barak missiles, meant to protect Navy vessels against sea-skimming missiles and aerial threats.

Reason

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation was developing a domestic anti-tank missile the government was keen to support.

India and Israel

Mr. Modi became the first sitting Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel last summer, and Mr. Netanyahu will fly to India on Jan. 14.