May 17, 2007: India has ordered another $25 million worth of night vision equipment from Israel. Over the last few years, India has been equipping its two mountain divisions, as well as some border guard units, with night vision equipment. These units guard the Pakistani border in the disputed Kashmir area. The widespread use of night vision gear (mainly rifle scope units, as well as larger, longer range, stand-alone devices) has sharply reduced the number of Islamic terrorists getting across the border in Kashmir. Much of this border is mountainous forest, providing a determined terrorist a good opportunity to get into Kashmir. But the night vision gear, and other types of sensors, have made it much more difficult to just sneak through the woods.

There has been one down side to all this. The rest of the army now knows how effective the night vision gear is, and wants it. But that would cost about half a billion dollars. The Indian army does not have that kind of money, at least not for night vision gear.