US Govt approves sale of two missile defence systems to India Corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar has links with Vijay Mallya: ED

A decision that will enhance security of planes flying president and PM

WASHINGTON: The US has agreed to sell two advanced missile defence systems to India for two Boeing-777 Headof-state aircraft for an estimated cost of USD 190 million, a decision that will enhance the security of the planes flying the president and the prime minister.

According to the Pentagon, the sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the US by helping to strengthen the Us-indian strategic relationship.

The Trump administration approved the purchase of the two systems known as Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-protection Suites (SPS) for an estimated cost of USD 190 million, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a notification to the Congress on Wednesday.

The US decision came after the Indian Government recently made the request for LAIRCM and SPS, given the high-level threat to the prime minister and the president.

The defence systems, which would bring the security of 'Air India One' at par with that of 'Air Force One' used by the American President, would be installed in two Boeing 777 Head-ofstate aircraft, the Pentagon said.

The Indian Government plans to buy two Boeing 777 ERS from the national carrier Air India for this specific purpose. Unlike in the past, the two aircraft would not be used for commercial purposes by Air India.

The purpose of the LAIRCM programme is to protect large aircraft from man-portable missiles. Once installed, the LAIRCM system increases crewwarning time, decreases false alarm rates and automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems, according to the Federation of American Scientists. The missile warning subsystem will use multiple sensors to provide full spatial coverage.

The counter-measures subsystem will use lasers mounted in pointertracker turret assemblies. It also automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems with no action required by the crew.

The pilot will simply be informed that a threat missile was detected and jammed.

Observing that it will improve India's capability to deter regional threats, the Congressional notification said the SPS will facilitate a more robust capability into areas of increased missile threats. "India will have no problem absorbing and using this system," the DSCA statement said.

The department said the proposed sale will not "alter the basic military balance in the region".

The prime contractor will be the Boeing Company. "The purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor," the DSCA statement said.

Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of one additional US contractor representative to India, it said.

According to the notification, India requested to buy two SPS consisting of AN/AAQ 24(V)N Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM), ALQ-211(V)8 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) and AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispensing System (CMDS) to protect two (2) Boeing-777 Head-ofstate aircraft.

"This potential sale would include twelve Guardian Laser Transmitter Assemblies AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (6 installed and 6 spares), eight (8) LAIRCM System Processor Replacements (LSPR) AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (2 installed and 6 spares); twenty-three (23) Missile Warning Sensors (MWS) for AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (12 installed and 11 spares), five (5) AN/ALE-47 Counter-measures Dispensing System (CMDS) (2 installed and 3 spares)," the notification said. Also included in this sale are Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suites (AIDEWS), LAIRCM CIURS, SCAS, HCCS, and UDM cards, initial spares, consumables, repair and return support and support equipment.

The US is the second-largest arms supplier to India. It has already recognised India as a "major defence partner", a status that which commits the US to facilitate technology sharing with India.

In 2018, the US granted India Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) status. India is the only South Asian country to get STA1 status and third Asian country after Japan and South Korea. The status eases India's defence procurement from the US.

Last year India and the US signed the COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) to facilitate interoperability between the two militaries and sale of high end technology. NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate Thursday claimed before a Delhi court that corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar has links with fugitive Vijay Mallya in a money laundering case related to negotiations favouring foreign private airlines and causing loss to national carrier Air India.

The agency made the submissions before Special Judge Santosh Snehi Mann, who extended the custodial interrogation of Talwar till February 12 after the ED said he was to be confronted with his son Aditya Talwar.

Aditya is currently abroad and has been summoned by the investigating agency for February 11, and Talwar's close aide Yasmin Kapoor.

ED said it has to find out from Talwar the names of officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, National Aviation Company of India Ltd and Air India who favoured foreign airlines, including Qatar Airways, Emirates and Air Arabia, by making the national carrier give up its profit making routes and timings.

"Investigation has revealed his links with fugitive Vijay Mallya, when both the said persons were evading the process of law and the probe of the said aspect id ongoing for determining the trail of the tainted money in the instant case," ED'S special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana told Corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar seen at Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on Thursday the court.

He said Talwar's exact role in the association with bilateral air services talks and the inroads made to influence the decisions was being probed.

Further custodial interrogation of the accused was required to unearth the facts within his special and personal knowledge, ED said.

"The investigation has revealed that various foreign airlines have paid huge amount of money in the accounts of Asia Field Ltd etc. whose ultimate beneficiary is Deepak Talwar and his son Aditya Talwar," it said, adding that Deepak was not cooperating and giving evasive replies. ED had sought extension of custody for Talwar by seven days.

The court had earlier allowed ED to quiz him in custody for seven days, after the probe agency alleged that he acted as middleman in negotiations to favour foreign private airlines causing the loss to national carrier Air India.

Mallya, the 63-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, has been on bail in the UK on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year and is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money

laundering allegedly amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores.

UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Monday had ordered the extradition of Mallya to India, in a major blow to the embattled liquor baron.

He had lost a legal challenge against his extradition in a British court in December.

Talwar was deported from Dubai on January 30 and arrested by the agency on landing here.

ED had earlier told the court, "It has been alleged that officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation, NACIL, Air India, by abusing their official positions as public servants and receiving illegal gratification, in conspiracy with other public servants, private domestic and foreign airlines, made the national carrier gave up profit making routes and profit making timings of Air India in favour of national and international domestic and foreign private airlines."

"This resulted in a huge loss of market share to the national carrier and also led to pecuniary benefits to private domestic and foreign airlines," the agency had said. The investigation in the case has revealed the role of the accused as a middleman in the negotiations.