Israel signs its biggestever defence deal

ISRAEL AEROSPACE Industries (IAI), a defence and aerospace manufacturer wholly owned by the Israeli government, announced the country’s biggest security contract ever last week, worth almost $2 billion. IAI is to provide advanced mediumrange surface-to-air missiles to the Indian army, worth $1.6 billion. The rest of the order, worth $400 million, will go to Rafael Advanced Defence Systems — another state-owned defence company. Rafael will provide components for the missile systems. The deal includes the supply of longrange surface-to-air missiles that would be deployed on India’s first aircraft carrier.