Egypt is considering India’s Akash missile system, a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile product of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). The defense relationship between Egypt and India is already strong, encompassing military sales, training, and technical knowledge transfer. The two nations frequently participate in joint military exercises and port visits by their naval and air forces. This interest from Egypt comes at a time when India is actively promoting its indigenous military equipment on the global stage, with defense exports reaching a record of about $2.2 billion in the fiscal year 2022-2023.
The defense ties were further strengthened following the visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to New Delhi in January 2023. President El-Sisi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed enhancing military collaboration and the sale of Indian-made weapons. During this visit, President El-Sisi awarded Prime Minister Modi the highest Egyptian state honor, the “Order of the Nile,” and was the guest of honor at India’s Republic Day celebrations.
Moreover, these ties were reinforced when Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his Egyptian counterpart, General Mohamed Zaki, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Cairo in September 2022, aimed at strengthening bilateral defense cooperation.
The Akash is a mobile surface-to-air missile system in service since 2009 and used by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Armenian Armed Forces. The Akash was designed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited. Each unit costs about 2.5 crore Indian rupees, approximately $500,000, and since 2009, over 3,500 missiles have been built.