India Spends $777 Million on Israeli Defense Systems

India is continuing its upward climb on the Israeli defense industries customer list with news of a $777 million purchase of the naval version of Israeli Aerospace Industries’ Barak 8 air and missile defense system to be installed in seven naval vessels. The new order brings India’s purchases from Israel over the past two years to $1.4 billion. It is notable that Israel is doing business with India despite sanctions placed on Russia’s arms customers – a situation that has driven the Indians to seek out new sources of supply. Despite the official American position, the United States remains India’s second-most arms supplier following Russia. Solidifying its superiority, Russian President Vladimir Putin left India last week with a $5.2 billion deal for the S-400 anti-missile defense system.