India will soon acquire 245 Stinger air-to-air missiles complete with launchers and requisite support according to a statement by the US defence contractor Raytheon.
“The Indian Ministry of Defence has signed an agreement with the US Department of Defence to acquire Stinger air-to-air missiles made by Raytheon Company. As part of the deal; India will receive 245 Stinger air-to-air missiles along with launchers and engineering support,” it read.
The acquisition is a part of the 3.1 million USD deal signed by both the countries. The deal also includes helicopters, radars, weapons and electronic warfare suits.
The AIM-92 Stinger more popularly known as ATAS (Air To Air Stinger) is an air-to-air missile developed from its predecessor—the shoulder-launched FIM-92 Stinger system. It is mainly used on helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache, Eurocopter Tiger and UAVs such as the MQ-1 Predator.
According to Raytheon, the missile gives its operator an “operational edge” against helicopters, drones, cruise missiles and fixed-wing aircraft.
In 2015, the United States also sold Stinger missiles to South Korea, Latvia and Taiwan. US lawmakers have also persistently requested the Obama administration to arm the ‘moderate’ Syrian opposition with portable Stinger missiles.
