India, Russia ink deal on Pantsir variants to bolster air defence

New Delhi: A major Indian defence public sector undertaking has signed an agreement with Russia's Rosoboronexport for cooperation on variants of the Pantsir air defence missile-gun system.

The Pantsir air defence system is a versatile platform designed to protect critical military and industrial facilities from aerial threats and reinforce air defence units.

The Memorandum of Understanding between Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Rosoboronexport was signed recently on the sidelines of the fifth IRIGC (India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission Subgroup) in Goa, according to the DPSU.

Headquartered in Hyderabad, BDL was incorporated in 1970 as a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence to be the manufacturing base for guided missile systems and allied equipment for the Indian armed forces.

"Bharat Dynamics Limited and Rosoboronexport (ROE), Russia entered into an MoU for cooperation on Pantsir variants, air defence missile-gun system.

"The MoU was signed by Cmde A. Madhavarao, (Retd), CMD, BDL and Mr Kovalenko German, DDG, Naval Dept, ROE on sidelines of 5th IRIGC Subgroup at Goa," BDL posted on X.

The agreement came ahead of the "working visit" of Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, who took part in the Russian-Indian Business Forum in Mumbai.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also attended this key event.

On November 12, Manturov jointly with Jaishankar will hold the 25th Session of the Intergovernmental Russian-Indian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, the Russian Embassy said in a statement on Saturday.

According to the website of BDL, since its inception, it has been working in collaboration with DRDO and foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the manufacture and supply of various missiles and allied equipment to the Indian armed forces.

Joint-Stock Company Rosoboronexport (part of Rostec State Corporation) is Russia's only state-controlled intermediary in the area of exports and imports of the entire range of military and double-purpose products, technologies and services.

The company is actively involved in pursuing national policy of the Russian Federation in the area of military-technical cooperation with foreign countries, according to Rosoboronexport's website.