India’s Ministry of Defence says Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have become buyers of India’s Akash medium-range surface-to-air missile systems.
According to a report by The Diplomat, Indian Defence Minister Rajesh Kumar Singh described the Akash missile system as a successful achievement of India’s defence industry in early October, saying it had been exported to Armenia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Armenia was the first foreign buyer of the system, receiving several batteries of missile systems from India, the report said.
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation and Ministry of Defence have also included Tajikistan and Turkmenistan on the list of Akash system buyers. However, the two Central Asian countries have not yet publicly commented on the reported purchases.
No confirmed information has been released about the number of systems involved, their cost or the delivery schedule.
According to The Diplomat, expanding defence cooperation between India and Central Asian countries indicates that regional states are seeking to reduce their reliance on Russia for military equipment and broaden their partnerships with other countries.
