India, Israel ink defence deal

The government has quietly inked the Rs 10,000-crore project with Israel to develop new-generation medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, capable of detecting and destroying hostile aircraft and spy drones at a range of 120km. Despite the Cabinet Committee on Security clearing it in July 2007, the joint DRDO-Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) project was on hold till now due to naming of IAI in the Rs 1,160-crore Barak-I deal kickbacks case by CBI.