India's Ministry of Defense has approved almost $200 million for the purchase of 240 Russian precision bombs.
India is one of Russia's largest arms buyers as New Delhi is forecast to spend a quarter-trillion U.S. dollars on upgrading its military over the next decade. Russia’s overall trade with India has increased by more than 15 percent in the last five years.
On Tuesday, India said in an online statement that Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had "cleared two procurement proposals," including a $197.4 million deal with Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport to buy precision-guided munitions.
"This procurement will address the deficiency of Precision Guided Munitions in the IAF [Indian Air Force] arsenal, besides enhancing the offensive capabilities of the IAF," India's Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
India also plans to buy surface-to-air missiles from Israel, the statement said.
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