Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said it has received $2 billion in contracts from India for air and missile defense systems, including a $1.6 billion award for an advanced medium-range surface-to-air and missile defense system (MRSAM) for India’s Army.

IAI's MRSAM missile test in June 2016. Photo: IAI
IAI’s MRSAM missile test in June 2016. Photo: IAI

IAI said last Thursday that the $1.6 billion award is the largest in its history.

The contracts also include additional long-range surface to air missile air and missile defense systems for the first Indian aircraft carrier, which is under construction.

An existing version of the MSRAM system is already operational with the Indian Air Force and Navy, and with Israel’s defense forces. It includes and advanced phased-array radar, command and control, mobile launchers and missiles with advanced radio frequency seekers.

“The current contracts represent an enormous expression of confidence by the government of India in IAI’s capabilities and advanced technologies, which are being developed with our local partners as part of the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ policy,” Joseph Weiss, IAI’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

The MRSAM system was jointly developed for the Indian Army by IAI and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization, in collaboration with RAFAEL. Indian companies involved in the program include BEL, L&T, BDL and other private vendors, IAI said.