NEW DELHI: The inability of the Soviet Union India’s main arms suppliers to provide spares for short range surface to air missiles now in use in the Army is posing a major problem to defence planners.
The Soviet-made Kvadrat missile and the Schilka gun fired missile which have been in use by the air defence units of the Army for over a decade may have to be pulled out unless a third country able to maintain uninterrupted supply lines can quickly be found to replace the Soviet manufacturers
The defence ministry is on the look-out for an alternative source mainly from among former Soviet Satellite countries that have been licensed to produce the Kvadrat and Schilka missiles. So far no country has been short listed though the govt is trying to tap all East European countries and Soviet allies in Asia like North Vietnam and North Korea.
A Soviet team which flew in a month ago to take stock of the situation has said that the problem is not as acute as was first projected by the Indian side. Many more missiles can be overhauled with the existing spares in the ordinance factory in Meerut.
The Soviet team also assured the defence ministry that they would go back and find out whether any factory in the Soviet Union was in A position to supply the spares. The Kvadrat missile is still in use in the Soviet army while the
Article extracted from this publication >> August 9, 1991
