CAG pulls up Army for shortfall in Igla, Milan missiles

The CAG has pulled up the Army for short supply of Russian-made Igla surface-to-air missiles and Franco-German Milan anti-tank missile, adversely impacting its war reserves and operational readiness.

The CAG has pulled up the Army for short supply of Russian-made Igla surface-to-air missiles and Franco-German Milan anti-tank missile, adversely impacting its war reserves and operational readiness.

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In its report presented in Rajya Sabha on Friday, the CAG said despite the war wastage reserve (WWR) holding of Igla missiles, used for protection of mechanised forces from air attacks, had come down to only 20 per cent in 2004.

But the Army placed orders for only 250 of these missiles and despite the precarious shortfall in reserves, it took four years to finalise a contract with Russian arms export firm Rosoboronexport for Rs 103.72 crore.

"Despite the operational urgency, the procurement of these missiles took four years and the staggered supply would continue to impact the WWR adversely," the report for 2008-09 said.

However, the delivery schedule was fixed as 50 missiles every year beginning 2008 and the entire supply to be completed by 2012.

Surprisingly, the Army had already decided in 2003 that Igla missiles did not fit into the current Air Defence philosophy and to de-induct them by 2013.