Israel Airforce Missiles
Israel Airforce Missiles(archive)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) won a massive $1.4 billion, 13-year contract to develop air defense systems for India.

As part of the deal, Israel will develop and build land and sea-based anti-missile systems, including 2,000 Barak Mark VIII missiles.  Up to 30 percent of the contract will be spent procuring military and aviation materials and services through Indian companies.

In India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), a staunchly pro-Muslim opposition party, has spread rumors that the deal between India and Israel includes kickbacks and is corrupt. The party is demanding that India's Central Bureau of Investigation probe the contract.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC), presidium of the leading Indian National Congress Party, called CPI-M's charges "preposterous, unsound and baseless," according to the Press Trust of India.