NEW DELHI, April 20: India has asked the United States to let it buy Israel’s early warning Phalcon aircraft but reports on Sunday said that the US Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) is worried by India’s quest for a “more sophisticated” nuclear weapons programme than it has.

Indian news reports from Washington quoted the DCI as telling the US Congress that India continues to acquire and develop technology, weapons of mass destruction and advanced conventional munitions.

“Since the 1998 tests, New Delhi has continued efforts intended to lead to the development of more sophisticated nuclear weapons,” the DCI observed in its recently-submitted statement on the acquisition of technology relating to weapons of mass
destruction and advanced conventional munitions, the reports said.

India, the DCI report says, had continued to obtain foreign assistance for its nuclear programme, primarily from Russia, while Indo-Israel defence cooperation is expanding.

The report stated that the underground nuclear tests in May 1998 “were a significant milestone” in India’s continuing nuclear weapons development programme.

India has the insatiate yearning to possess and stockpile more and more missiles, though, “it still lacks engineering or production expertise in some key missile technologies.”

“The entities in Russia and Western Europe,” the report reveals, “remained the primary conduits of missile-related and dual-use technology transfer during 2001.”

During the reporting period i.e, January 1 to June 30, 2002, the DCI stated: “India flight-tested the ‘Agni-I ballistic missile’ and continued work with the Russians on the Brahmos cruise missile.”