WEBDESK: The Indian-Israeli nexus has dangerously transformed the military balance in South Asia, as India continues to stockpile advanced weapon systems, many of which have been repeatedly directed towards Pakistan. Over the years, this close partnership has allowed New Delhi to heavily rely on Israeli technology to modernise its forces and reinforce its offensive posture in the region.
One of the earliest acquisitions from this Indian-Israeli nexus was the Barak-1, a naval point defence missile system for Indian warships, designed to intercept anti ship missiles. This deal in the late 1990s marked India’s first major missile system purchase from Israel.
It was followed by the Barak-8, a long range surface to air missile system jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and India’s DRDO, for both naval and land-based air defence. It quickly became one of India’s main joint development projects.
The Indian-Israeli nexus also expanded into airborne surveillance. India secured the Phalcon AWACS system, an advanced airborne warning and control system fitted with Israeli EL/M-2075 radar on Russian Il-76 aircraft.
The $1.1 billion agreement in 2004 was India’s largest defence contract with Israel at that time. In addition, India purchased versions of Israel’s Green Pine radar, originally created for its Arrow missile defence system, to track ballistic missiles.
Further military cooperation through the Indian-Israeli nexus included unmanned aerial vehicles. India acquired the Searcher Mk-II, a tactical reconnaissance drone used during the Kargil conflict for high-altitude surveillance, and the Heron, a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV for strategic reconnaissance. India also added the Harpy, a loitering munition designed to target enemy radars, becoming one of its first export customers.
The Indian-Israeli nexus extended to electronic warfare and surveillance equipment. This included the EL/M-2032 airborne radar for India’s Jaguar and MiG-21 aircraft, night-vision devices such as helmet-mounted displays and thermal imagers, and electronic countermeasure suites for naval and air platforms.
Precision guided munitions like laser-guided bomb kits, supplied during the Kargil conflict for India’s Mirage-2000s, and Spike anti-tank guided missiles were also acquired. Additional systems included Tavor assault rifles, aerostat radars for border monitoring, and missile upgrades and avionics kits for older Soviet-origin systems.
Pakistan views these extensive defence ties as a threat to regional stability, given the history of these weapons being used against it.
The growing defence alliance between India and Israel, the India-Israel nexus, is raising global concerns as their deepening military cooperation is seen as a major threat to regional and international peace.
Reports suggest this collaboration is not only fuelling unrest in the region but also posing significant dangers to global stability.
The India-Israel defence alliance is now extending far beyond weapons trade, covering areas like cyber security, surveillance, and joint military training.
