India could purchase NASAMS-II air defense missile system from U.S..

According to "The Times of India" website, India shows interest to acquire National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System NASAMS-II under United States foreign military sales. The Indian Defence ministry sources said the US is likely to send the final draft of the "letter of acceptance" for the sale of NASAMS-II to India U.S. foreign military sales program, for an amount of $1 billion, by July/August 2019.

National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System at MSPO defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The NASAMS (National/Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) is a distributed and networked medium to long-range air-defense missile system. The Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace teamed up with Raytheon and initiated the NASAMS program as a cooperative effort for the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

The NASAMS can be deployed to identify, engage and destroy aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and for protecting high-value assets and mass population centers against air-to-surface threats.

The NASAMS is able to fire the AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile), ESSM, and the AIM-9X Sidewinder. The AIM-120 missile can intercept aerial threats at a maximum range of 40 km and an altitude of 14 km.

The major difference between the two versions is the use of Link 16 on NASAMS 2 as well as a better ground radar. Full operational capability (FOC) was expected for 2007.

A complete NASAMS (2) battery consists of 12 missile launchers (LCHR) (each one carrying six AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles), eight radars (AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel F1 Improved Sentinel X band 3D radar), one fire control centre (CTOC), one electro-optical camera vehicle (MSP500) and one Tactical Control Cell (TCC) vehicle.