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Phalcon deal is going through: Fernandes

A K Dhar in New Delhi

India on Tuesday said it was confident that the proposed sale of three Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System from Israel would go through.

Discounting media reports that Washington had told Tel Aviv to keep on hold the sale of these advanced planes, Defence Minister George Fernandes said: "As far as I know we are getting them."

"I have no idea where these reports are coming from," Fernandes, who is leaving on Tuesday night on a six-day visit to the United States, said.

Last week, visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres had indicated that the deal -- worth around $1 bn -- would go through.

The Phalcon planes are produced by Israel and therefore do not require US approval. But because America is a close ally Israel prefers to have all deals cleared by Washington.

An external affairs ministry spokesperson said the reports of pressure on Israel not to sell arms to India were not correct.

A similar Israeli deal for sale of Phalcon AWACS to China had fallen through two years ago when Washington objected to the sales.

Air force sources said that the Chinese sales had not gone through, as along with the outright sales the deal also entailed transfer of technology for making these planes in China.

They said Washington had raised legitimate objections to the transfer of technology as a number of main and sub-systems of the Phalcons were American.

The sources said that they did not visualise any such hitch with India, as New Delhi was only asking for outright purchase of these aircraft and not transfer of technology.

Fernandes as well as other defence officials did not comment on other reports that US officials had raised objections to the interest shown by Israel to sell Arrow-2 anti-tactical ballistic missile defence system to India.

The system is a joint US-Israeli venture for which Washington has provided a majority of the development funding.

The US officials claimed that the Arrow sale would violate the Missile Technology Control Regime.

PTI

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