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Russia hardsells military ware
Rajat Pandit
[ 25 Jan, 2007 0109hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
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NEW DELHI: From the joint development of a new 'hypersonic'BrahMos cruise missile to an almost-clinched agreement for the fifth-generation stealth fighter, India and Russia are now poised to take their already robust defence relationship to an altogether new level.
The exact contours of the agreement for the G-5 fighter project, which may require India to invest around Rs 5,000 crore, and the specifications for the hypersonic BrahMos, which will fly over five times the speed of sound, will be thrashed out in the near future.
But the two countries went ahead on Wednesday and signed a protocol for the joint development of the 100-seater multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) and a contract for the licensed production of RD-33 engines for MiG-29s at Nasik in India.
Moreover, India also decided to procure 347 more T-90S main-battle tanks, 40 more Sukhoi-30MKI 'air dominance'fighters and 80 more Mi-17 medium-lift utility and assault helicopters from Russia. That's not all. During the sixth meeting of the bilateral Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation on Wednesday, chaired by defence minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov, Moscow also made a strong pitch for its MiG-35 to bag the IAF's $6.5 billion contract to buy 126 multi-role combat aircraft.
Well, the Russians will have to face stiff competition in this contract from the Americans (F-16 and F/A-18), French (Rafale), Swedes (JAS-39 Gripen) and the European Consortium, which makes Typhoon.
But on other fronts, it's good news for Russia, desperate to maintain its numero uno status among defence suppliers to India, which in turn is looking to spend over $ 30 billion in the 11th Plan (2007-2012).
Russia, of course, is particularly keen to get Indian funding for its Sukhoi-led consortium's G-5 fighter project, designated as PAK-FA and touted to be a rival to the American F-35 Lighting-II Joint Strike Fighter project.
'We are developing the G-5 fighter for the last three years. It will be airborne in 2009. Some time ago, India showed interest in joining this project.
India has now informed us that a final choice has been made. We can now open up contractual work for Indian accession to the project,'said Ivanov.
As reported earlier by TOI, India has finalised plans to acquire G-5 fighters, with a lethal mix of stealth, beyond-visual range combat capabilities, reduced radar tracking signature, super-manoeuvrability and supersonic cruising ability.
While Sukhoi-30MKIs in IAF's combat fleet can be placed a little over fourth-generation, the only operational G-5 fighter in the world at present is the new American F/A-22 Raptor, which comes at $258 million apiece.
An important step during Wednesday's meeting was the decision to establish a Joint Working Group, which will meet before March, to work out the specifications for the next-generation of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
'The present BrahMos flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach (almost three times the speed of sound), which no other cruise missile in the world does at present.
The new BrahMos will have a speed between 5 to 7 Mach. This will be important to maintain our superiority in this arena in the next decade,'said a top official.
Citing BrahMos as a 'successful joint venture', both Antony and Ivanov said the defence ties between India and Russia were no longer restricted to 'a simple buyer-seller'relationship but had transformed into one which revolved around joint R&D and development projects.
As for the MTA, Antony said, 'We are now looking forward towards joint development and production of MTA for the use of the Indian and Russian air forces, as well as commercial sales to other countries.''
Russia hardsells military ware
Rajat Pandit
[ 25 Jan, 2007 0109hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
NEW DELHI: From the joint development of a new 'hypersonic'BrahMos cruise missile to an almost-clinched agreement for the fifth-generation stealth fighter, India and Russia are now poised to take their already robust defence relationship to an altogether new level.
The exact contours of the agreement for the G-5 fighter project, which may require India to invest around Rs 5,000 crore, and the specifications for the hypersonic BrahMos, which will fly over five times the speed of sound, will be thrashed out in the near future.
But the two countries went ahead on Wednesday and signed a protocol for the joint development of the 100-seater multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) and a contract for the licensed production of RD-33 engines for MiG-29s at Nasik in India.
Moreover, India also decided to procure 347 more T-90S main-battle tanks, 40 more Sukhoi-30MKI 'air dominance'fighters and 80 more Mi-17 medium-lift utility and assault helicopters from Russia. That's not all. During the sixth meeting of the bilateral Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation on Wednesday, chaired by defence minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov, Moscow also made a strong pitch for its MiG-35 to bag the IAF's $6.5 billion contract to buy 126 multi-role combat aircraft.
Well, the Russians will have to face stiff competition in this contract from the Americans (F-16 and F/A-18), French (Rafale), Swedes (JAS-39 Gripen) and the European Consortium, which makes Typhoon.
But on other fronts, it's good news for Russia, desperate to maintain its numero uno status among defence suppliers to India, which in turn is looking to spend over $ 30 billion in the 11th Plan (2007-2012).
Russia, of course, is particularly keen to get Indian funding for its Sukhoi-led consortium's G-5 fighter project, designated as PAK-FA and touted to be a rival to the American F-35 Lighting-II Joint Strike Fighter project.
'We are developing the G-5 fighter for the last three years. It will be airborne in 2009. Some time ago, India showed interest in joining this project.
India has now informed us that a final choice has been made. We can now open up contractual work for Indian accession to the project,'said Ivanov.
As reported earlier by TOI, India has finalised plans to acquire G-5 fighters, with a lethal mix of stealth, beyond-visual range combat capabilities, reduced radar tracking signature, super-manoeuvrability and supersonic cruising ability.
While Sukhoi-30MKIs in IAF's combat fleet can be placed a little over fourth-generation, the only operational G-5 fighter in the world at present is the new American F/A-22 Raptor, which comes at $258 million apiece.
An important step during Wednesday's meeting was the decision to establish a Joint Working Group, which will meet before March, to work out the specifications for the next-generation of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
'The present BrahMos flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach (almost three times the speed of sound), which no other cruise missile in the world does at present.
The new BrahMos will have a speed between 5 to 7 Mach. This will be important to maintain our superiority in this arena in the next decade,'said a top official.
Citing BrahMos as a 'successful joint venture', both Antony and Ivanov said the defence ties between India and Russia were no longer restricted to 'a simple buyer-seller'relationship but had transformed into one which revolved around joint R&D and development projects.
As for the MTA, Antony said, 'We are now looking forward towards joint development and production of MTA for the use of the Indian and Russian air forces, as well as commercial sales to other countries.''