Internal Security
US Approves Sale of Military Hardware
- 14 Apr 2020
- 3 min read
Why in News
- The US State Department has approved the sale of missiles and torpedoes worth $155 million to India.
- The sale of 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air launched missiles is estimated to cost USD 92 million.
- The sale of 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes and 3 MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes are estimated to cost $63 million.
- Indian Government has requested the US for these military hardware.
Key Points
- India intends to utilize MK 54 Lightweight Torpedoes on its P-8I aircraft.
- The MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo would provide the capability to conduct anti-submarine warfare missions.
- The Harpoon missile system would be integrated into the P-8I aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defense of critical sea lanes.
- This will also enhance interoperability with the United States and other allied forces.
- Harpoon Block II Missile
- It is capable of executing both land-strike and anti-ship missions.
- To strike targets on land and ships in port, the missile uses GPS-aided inertial navigation to hit a designated target aimpoint.
- It can be used against a wide variety of land-based targets, including coastal defense sites, surface-to-air missile sites, exposed aircraft, port/industrial facilities and ships in port.
- MK 54 Torpedoes
- Torpedo is a cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater missile, launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or airplane and designed for exploding upon contact with the hulls of surface vessels and submarines.
- The MK 54 uses sophisticated processing algorithms to analyze the information, edit out false targets or countermeasures, and then pursue identified threats.
P-8I Aircraft
- The P-8I aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that Boeing company developed as a replacement for the US Navy’s ageing P-3 fleet.
- With a maximum speed of 907 kmph and an operating range of over 1,200 nautical miles, the P-8Is detect threats and neutralize them if required, far before they come anywhere near Indian shores.
- Indian Navy became the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft with the conclusion of the nearly US $ 2.1 billion contract on 01 Jan 2009 for a total of eight aircraft. The P-8s Indian variant is referred to as P-8I.
- The aircraft are based at INS Rajali.
