Following the visit of India’s Defense Minister Rajesh Kumar Singh to Armenia last week, where the two countries signed agreements to deepen military and technical cooperation, reports are emerging that New Delhi is in talks with Yerevan to export an Indian made tactical missile system.
The Indian government said that the two sides are examining new-generation missile cooperation alongside broader discussions on joint ventures, industrial collaboration and additional Indian defense systems, according to an article published Friday by the India Defense Research Wing, a defense news reporting site.
The deal being discussed reportedly centers around the Parlay tactical missile system, which is an indigenous solid-propellant, quasi-ballistic missile developed by India’s Defense, Research and Development Organization working within the country’s defense ministry. According to the IDSW.org report the Parlay uses advanced guidance and navigation systems to achieve precision against designated targets.
“Armenia has already emerged as an important overseas customer for Indian systems including Pinaka, Akash, ATAGS and Swathi, while discussions have increasingly moved toward more sophisticated capabilities and possible local industrial participation,” IDSW.org reported.
The report called this possible deal significant, saying that Pralay would give Yerevan a mobile precision-strike capability distinct from the artillery and air-defense systems it has already acquired from India.
“According to sources familiar with the discussions, an Armenian technical and military team could subsequently visit India for familiarization and possible training purposes, including a potential system demonstration or launch,” IDSW.org’s report said.
“For Armenia, Pralay would represent a major addition to its precision-strike arsenal. For India, an Armenian contract would be equally significant: it could become one of the country’s most important exports of an indigenous tactical missile system,” the report added.
India and Armenia have been discussing joint ventures, local manufacturing and military-hardware development. The agreements signed between India and Armenia last has placed greater emphasis on military-technical cooperation and research.