India Now Has Russian Missiles

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30275, 30 October 1963, Page 11

India Now Has Russian Missiles

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, October 28. “The Times” New Delhi correspondent today referred to the “almost secret” presence of Russian missiles in India.

The correspondent sak that the Russian contributioi to Indian defence was “mon than symbolic.” He was re porting the arrival at an air field near Calcutta of Roya Air Force Javelin fighters U lake part in an “air um

brella” exercise in which two Canberra jets from the Royal Australian Air Force will be involved. "Behind the exercises,” the correspondent said, “and now much played down by both in Indian and Western circles, is the idea that If China should attack India from the air Western squadrons would be sent here to defend the cities. . . .”

Discussing Indian policy, the correspondent said: “With British and American squadrons co-operating from Indian airfields and an American military mission and a much smaller British group established in Delhi, India’s defence posture is on the surface difficult to reconcile with even the remnants of nonalignment. “But less publicised—lndeed, kept almost secret—is the presence here of the first Russian ground-to-air missiles.

“There are also half a dozen MiG’s and preparations are being made to erect a factory to build more of these Soviet fighters. . .. “It could be argued that the presence of all these weapons, British, American, and Russian, is a demonstration of

the success, rather than the failure, of non-alignment," he said.