INDIAN MRO: Pipavav Defense and Offshore Ltd., India’s largest shipbuilder by market value, has signed an agreement with Airbus SAS and SKIL Infrastructure to develop aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for both civilian and military applications in India. “The first phase [of] MRO facilities and associated infrastructure are likely to cost $100 million,” a Pipavav Defense official says. Initially, Airbus parent company EADS will have a 26% stake in the project and may raise it to 49%. Pipavav Defense will hold 51%, the official says.

NEW DELHI — India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile on Sept. 26. The medium-range missile, with a flight duration of 483 sec. and reaching a peak altitude of 43.5 km (27 mi.), has the capability to carry a 500-kg (1,100-lb.) warhead. The test of the missile, which has a maximum range of 350 km, was part of a user trial by the Indian armed forces, defense ministry officials said.

NEW DELHI — India plans to conduct the first development flight of the long-range Agni-5 missile in December. “Agni-5 will take us to a level of 5,000-kilometer-plus ... missile systems, which meets all our threat requirements,” says V.K. Saraswat, chief of India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). However, Saraswat adds, “Though India has the capability of developing long-range missiles, we are not developing any intercontinental ballistic missiles. Our threat perception today doesn’t require developing any ICBMs.”