Indian Tiger
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NEW DELHI: Continuing with the flurry of visits to Russia, defence minister A K Antony and Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma are now slated to visit Moscow over the next few months.
While Admiral Verma will be visiting Russia in July, Antony will be there in October as a run-up to PM Manmohan Singh's summit-level talks in December. This comes after the recent visits of IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, defence secretary Pradeep Kumar and defence production secretary R K Singh, among others, to Russia in recent days.
While this top-level engagement signifies Russia's numero uno status in the lucrative Indian defence market, it is also an indicator that major problems continue to dog the bilateral defence relationship. This was on display at the abrupt way in which Russia cancelled the 'Indra' series of naval combat exercise at the last minute in April, forcing the five Indian warships which had sailed to the waters off Vladivostok to return home with just "a port call".
India, on its part, remains quite upset about Russia not adhering to delivery schedules, jacking up costs mid-way through execution of agreements, creating roadblocks in transfer of technology (ToT) and failing to provide uninterrupted supply of spares.
There are, for instance, still some "issues" to be resolved in the ToT for T-90S main-battle tanks, say sources. This when India first ordered 310 tanks for Rs 3,625 crore in 2001, following it with another order for 347 tanks at a cost of Rs 4,900 crore in 2007. The road for the indigenous manufacture underway now for another 1,000 T-90S tanks, however, has not been fully smoothened till now.
India, of course, is keeping its fingers crossed for its biggest-ever defence project with Russia, the one for joint development of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).
India and Russia have inked the preliminary design contract (PDC), worth $295 million, for the FGFA project as of now. But, as first reported by TOI, India will end up eventually spending around $35 billion over the next two decades to induct 250 to 300 of the advanced stealth fighters from 2020 onwards.
Antony, Navy chief will be the next to vist Russia - The Times of India
While Admiral Verma will be visiting Russia in July, Antony will be there in October as a run-up to PM Manmohan Singh's summit-level talks in December. This comes after the recent visits of IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, defence secretary Pradeep Kumar and defence production secretary R K Singh, among others, to Russia in recent days.
While this top-level engagement signifies Russia's numero uno status in the lucrative Indian defence market, it is also an indicator that major problems continue to dog the bilateral defence relationship. This was on display at the abrupt way in which Russia cancelled the 'Indra' series of naval combat exercise at the last minute in April, forcing the five Indian warships which had sailed to the waters off Vladivostok to return home with just "a port call".
India, on its part, remains quite upset about Russia not adhering to delivery schedules, jacking up costs mid-way through execution of agreements, creating roadblocks in transfer of technology (ToT) and failing to provide uninterrupted supply of spares.
There are, for instance, still some "issues" to be resolved in the ToT for T-90S main-battle tanks, say sources. This when India first ordered 310 tanks for Rs 3,625 crore in 2001, following it with another order for 347 tanks at a cost of Rs 4,900 crore in 2007. The road for the indigenous manufacture underway now for another 1,000 T-90S tanks, however, has not been fully smoothened till now.
India, of course, is keeping its fingers crossed for its biggest-ever defence project with Russia, the one for joint development of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).
India and Russia have inked the preliminary design contract (PDC), worth $295 million, for the FGFA project as of now. But, as first reported by TOI, India will end up eventually spending around $35 billion over the next two decades to induct 250 to 300 of the advanced stealth fighters from 2020 onwards.
Antony, Navy chief will be the next to vist Russia - The Times of India
