VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 6 (Interfax) - Russia is ready to sign a contract with India on the licensed production of the Igla-S man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), and the contact has been practically agreed, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Dmitry Shugayev said.
"We're continuing negotiating with the Indian side on the contract for the licensed production of the Igla-S MANPADS. At present, the talks are at final stages and the draft contract has been practically agreed," Shugayev said.
"The Russian side is ready to close the deal," he said.
As reported, Russia won the $1-billion Indian tender in late 2018, and Russia's Igla-S MANPADS defeated its rivals, Mistral of France and RBS 70 NG of Sweden.
In all, India plans to buy 5,175 missiles, in addition to launchers and associated equipment, including the devices used to install MANPADS on vehicles. It is planned that 2,315 missiles will be supplied as knock-down kits, 1,260 as semi-knock-down kits, 1,000 as component parts, and another 600 missiles will be produced at the state-run enterprise Bharat Dynamics Ltd.
The Igla-S MANPADS of the Kolomna-based Machine-Building Design Bureau are meant to protect forces and military and civil sites from direct airstrikes of tactical aircraft (fighter jets, attack vehicles, and fighters-bombers) and attack helicopters, and to destroy cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.