Tech Export Case Suspect to Testify

The chief executive of an electronics supply company is due in federal court today in the District to answer charges of shipping closely guarded U.S. computer technology to India for use in missiles and other weapons systems.

Working with Indian government officials, Cirrus Electronics founder Parthasarathy Sudarshan ordered computer equipment from U.S. manufacturers using falsified documents about their destination, federal prosecutors said. The parts were allegedly shipped to India through Cirrus offices in South Carolina and Singapore.

A federal indictment describes coordination between Cirrus and the Indian government. Prosecutors identified but did not name "Coconspirator A," an Indian government official in Washington.

Prosecutors say that between 2003 and 2006, Sudarshan was buying the equipment for three Indian government agencies: the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, which researches spacecraft and ballistic missiles; Bharat Dynamics Ltd., a key agency in the nation's guided-missile program; and the Aeronautical Development Establishment, which is developing the Tejas combat jet.