Article Posted on : - Mar 30, 2016

The Stinger weapon system. Photo: US DoD

TUCSON, ARIZONA (BNS): 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, as along with launchers and engineering support, Raytheon said in a statement.

"India joins nations around the globe who recognize that air-to-air Stinger can be a key component of attack and light attack helicopter mission configurations," said Duane Gooden, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president.

"Stinger significantly improves the ability of the aircraft to successfully perform today's missions while countering existing threats."

Combat-proven in four major conflicts, Stinger has more than 270 fixed-and rotary-wing intercepts to its credit. It is deployed in 19 nations and with all four US military services, it said.

India's Stinger acquisition is part of a $3.1 billion deal with the US that includes combat helicopters, weapons, radars and electronic warfare suites.

The combination of supersonic speed, agility, highly accurate guidance and control system and lethal warhead gives Stinger the operational edge against all classes of helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and fixed-wing aircraft.

Stinger not only has a surface-to-air capability from land and sea, but also an air-to-air capability that can be integrated into most fixed-or rotary-wing platforms, it added.