PARIS. June 17 (Interfax-AVN) - The Izhevsk-based Kupol electromechanical plant intends to sign two contracts for deliveries of Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems before the end of the year 2002, the plant's deputy director general in charge of military and technical cooperation Boris Nesterov told Interfax- Military News Agency on Monday.
Nesterov was speaking at the opening of the Eurosatory-2002 international exhibition for land and land-air defense in Paris.
"We are engaged in intensive negotiations with two companies on the deliveries of Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems. The contracts can be signed before the end of the year," the deputy director said. He declined to disclose the participants in the talks and the value of the contracts saying it was too early to do it at this stage of negotiations.
According to Nesterov, India has expressed the greatest interest in the asset. It requested the Rosoboronexport federal state unitary enterprise to hold a presentation of the system. It is not excluded that similar presentations will be soon held in Egypt and Algeria.
Tor-M1 is used to provide air defense cover to important administrative, economic and military objects, first echelons of ground forces; it has been designed to counter anti-radar and cruise missiles, remotely-controlled aircraft, dive aerial bombs, fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including stealth ones.
Experts believe that this is the world's only system capable of simultaneous detection and identification of up to 48 targets, tracking and engagement of two targets at a time flying at altitudes from 20 to 6,000 meters.