Tel Aviv: China’s arch enemy Vietnam is soon going to buy Barak 8 missiles from Israel. A high-level delegation from Vietnam’s defence ministry is scheduled to visit Israel in September to finalize the deal.

During this visit, a deal will be finalized between Israel and Vietnam for three batteries of the Barak 8 missile system. The value of this deal is being estimated at Rs 50 crore. The delegation will be led by the Deputy Commander of the Vietnam People’s Air Force as well as the Chief of Air Defense. Vietnam is already using the Spyder air-defense system manufactured by Israel.

The Barak 8 system is designed to protect against a variety of threats, including airplanes, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles. It can be deployed on land or at sea.

Israel, India made Barak 8 missile

The Barak 8 missile is jointly made by Israel and India. Its range is said to be 70 km. The missile has been jointly designed by Israel Aerospace Industries and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Barak 8 has been jointly manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited and Rafael Advanced Defense Limited. Since 2016, this missile is deployed in the army of three countries.

The Barak 8 missile is already deployed in the Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy. Apart from this, the Israeli Navy and Azerbaijan’s Air Force also use this missile.

Tension between Israeli companies over Vietnam

Vietnam’s interest in Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak Systems is troubling news for another Israeli defense company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. In fact, in 2015, Vietnam bought Rafale’s Spyder air-defense system for $600 million. It is considered the largest military deal ever between Israel and Vietnam.

Rafale has recently been in talks to buy three more Spyder systems from Vietnam, but according to Vietnamese sources, the government there is unhappy with Rafale. That is why Vietnam has decided to give priority to Israel Aerospace Industries.

Vietnam buying weapons worth billions from Israel

The population of Vietnam is around 100 million. For the past 15 years, Vietnam has been buying weapons from Israeli companies. According to an estimate, Vietnam has purchased weapons worth $ 1.5 billion from Israel. Israel’s Elbit Systems has sold $60 million worth of command-and-control systems and $30 million worth of cyber and communications equipment to the Vietnamese Navy.

Israel Aerospace Industries has sold three Heron drone systems to Vietnam for approximately $14 million. Its Alta subsidiary has sold Radar to Vietnam for $150 million, while Ramta has sold 60 armored vehicles for $20 million.