Article Posted on : - Sep 26, 2014

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NEW DELHI (PTI): Government is understood to have cleared a deal expected to be worth over Rs 1,000 crore for procuring Barak missiles from Israel whose acquisition was pending for over last five years in view of a CBI probe.

The Cabinet Committee on Security is understood to have cleared the deal for procuring the Israeli air defence missiles which would be deployed on Navy's aircraft carriers that are sans air defence missile systems to target an incoming enemy aircraft or missile, sources said on Thursday.

The missiles are to be put on board aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and INS Virat -- Navy's two operational warships which have been without air defence cover.

The procurement case was finalised by Defence Ministry after the Attorney General gave an opinion in favour of procuring the missiles as their acquisition was put on hold in view of a CBI probe into charges of corruption in the deal.

The Navy had made a strong case for the 9-km range air defence missile and had told the ministry that it was left with only around 150 of these weapons.

The new government has moved fast on acquisitions for the armed forces and the Navy has received special attention from it as one of the first few meetings of the CCS cleared provision of additional funds for the completion of construction of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier for the maritime force.