NEW DELHI: India and Israel have decided to further bolster their already expansive military ties, especially in areas like joint R&D defence projects, counter-terrorism and intelligence-sharing.

This came after visiting Israeli Defence Forces chief of general staff Lt-General Gabi Ashkenazi met national security advisor M K Narayanan, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik and Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma on Wednesday.

Lt-Gen Ashkenazi is also slated to visit the Jaipur-based South-Western Army Command, one of the six operational commands of the 1.13-million strong Indian Army.

Indian armed forces have inducted a wide array of Israeli military hardware and software, ranging from UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), electronic warfare suites and night-vision devices to missiles, anti-missile defence systems and sophisticated radars, after the 1999 Kargil conflict. Israel since then has rapidly emerged as India's second largest defence supplier, notching up business worth a staggering $9 billion.

The focus now is on having joint R&D projects in fields like high-endurance and rotary UAVs, submarine-launched cruise missiles, anti-ballistic missile systems, network-centric operations, micro-satellite surveillance systems, advanced precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and third-generation night-vision devices.

The special status accorded to Israel can be gauged from the fact that the UPA government has not blacklisted Israeli armament companies despite allegations of kickbacks.

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