India wants to purchase Russian Kalibr Cruise Missiles

New Delhi is going to purchase the Kalibr cruise missiles from Russia. The issue of the supply will be discussed during the Russian President’s visit to India in October.

India intends to apply to Russia with a request for a sale of the Kalibr cruise missiles, the Izvestiya newspaper reported on Thursday. The issue of the supply will be discussed during the forthcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India, the newspaper stated, citing an informed diplomatic source.

“The proposal has already been prepared by the Indian side, but it will be officially handed over only during President Vladimir Putin’s visit,” the source noted.

According to the newspaper, the Kalibr export version will have a significantly reduced flight distance – as short as 300 kilometers in order not to violate the provisions of international agreements that prohibit the export of missiles with a greater flight distance.

“These will be, essentially, the same missiles as the ones used in Syria,” the source added.

Last week, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing its own diplomatic source, that the Russian Black Sea warships armed with the Kalibr cruise missiles will stay in the eastern Mediterranean at least until September. Several Kalibr launches against the Jabhat Fatah al Sham (previously known as al-Nusra Front) terrorist group have already been carried out by the missile ships in Syria.