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The Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is visiting India on March 11-12 to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries and foster greater defence ties. India and Russia are expected to initiate a couple of major defence deals and a project related to the nuclear reactors.
The upcoming visit by Putin and the recent visit by the Indian Prime Minister to Russia in December 2009 are signalling a new wave of Indo-Russian cooperation and an array of defence ties that may help Russia reclaim its position of the leading foreign supplier to India.
The Russian Prime Minister’s visit to India may also lead to the formal signing of the agreement pertaining to the new price for the refitting of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier. The original price for refitting the Admiral Gorshkov was $974 million, which the Russian’s quoted. The final settlement for the refitting of Admiral Gorshkov with added features has now reached $2.34 billion.
Among the other on-going Indo-Russian acquisition deals, the two sides aims to finish negotiations for the purchase of 29 extra MIG-29K fighters for the Indian navy. At present, India is inducting 16 MIG-29K bought for aircraft carrier Gorshkov. Since the aircraft carrier is not ready, the MiGs are operating from land. The proposed deal for the 29 extra MIG-29K would be worth around $1.2 billion.
As for the other projects in which India and Russia are collaborating, the $600.7 million joint venture project to build a multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) is also being carried out. The 50:50 joint ventures’ share-holder agreement among others would be signed between state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and United Aircraft Corporation of Russia.
A Russian team’s visit for the joint development of the fifth generation fighter aircraft, with advanced stealth features, is also being carried out this month. The fighter aircraft will have super-cruise capability, thrust-vectoring and integrated avionics and they will be expensive. A preliminary design contract cost of $332 million has been conveyed by the Russians, with the development cost of the advanced fighter reaching over $6 billion exclusive of the cost of production.
During the Russian Prime Minister’s visit to India, the proposed Sukhoi deal worth over $3 billion is also expected to be reviewed and finalised. India is looking at acquiring an extra 42 Sukhoi aircraft. In addition, the two sides are also likely to sign a possible agreement on setting up a dozen new nuclear reactors in the latest nuclear park in West Bengal given to the Russians. The two countries have already signed a broad-based agreement that ensures transfer of technology and uninterrupted uranium fuel supplies to its nuclear reactors, in December last year during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Russia.
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