NEW DELHI — India on Jan. 1 canceled its $770 million contract with AgustaWestland for the purchase of 12 AW101 helicopters, following a bribery scandal. “The government of India has terminated the contract on grounds of breach of the pre-contract integrity pact and the agreement by AgustaWestland,” a defense ministry spokesman says. The order to cancel the contract was signed by Defense Minister A.K. Antony, who earlier in the day met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

NEW DELHI — Pakistan’s efforts to sell its indigenous JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter aircraft are getting a boost with the government’s vow to push defense exports. The Pakistan government is said to have given a positive response to a proposed initiative by the Pakistan air force (PAF) to export the JF-17 to prospective buyer states. The JF-17 was developed as a joint venture between the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) of China, which refers to it as the FC-1 Xiaolong.

NEW DELHI — India will soon buy an additional 262 Barak-I Israeli anti-aircraft missiles for its navy, now that the Indian government has closed a bribery investigation that held up the deal for years. In an apparent bid to counter the growing naval power of neighboring China, the Indian navy has been insisting the government clear the Barak missile purchase as its warships equipped with the Barak anti-missile defense systems were low on missiles.