["Russia still remains — and will be so in the foreseeable future — India's largest defence partner." And India is among the world's top three arms importer together with China and Saudi Arabia.]
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/5G-deal-makes-Russia-No-1-defence-partner-by-a-long-shot/articleshow/7141969.cms <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/5G-deal-makes-Russia-No-1-defence-partner-by-a-long-shot/articleshow/7141969.cms> 5G deal makes Russia No. 1 defence partner by a long shotRajat Pandit, TNN, Dec 22, 2010, 01.26am IST NEW DELHI: Move over Israel<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Israel>, France, the UK and the US, Russia has reasserted its numero uno status in the lucrative Indian defence market. The Soviet era's heady romance of "friendship prices" and "sweet deals" may be long dead and gone, but the long-standing strategic clinch shows no sign of abating. The expansive Indo-Russian defence partnership<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Indo-Russian%20defence%20partnership>, which has already zoomed past $35 billion since the 1960s, marked a new high on Tuesday with the two nations inking the preliminary design contract<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=preliminary%20design%20contract> (PDC) for joint development of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA). The PDC may be only worth $295 million but it will, as earlier reported by TOI, lead to India <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/India> spending around $35 billion over the next two decades to induct between 250 and 300 of advanced stealth fighters from 2020 onwards in what will be its biggest-ever defence project. The Indian FGFA or "perspective multi-role fighter" will be based on the Russian single-seater FGFA called Sukhoi T-50, a prototype of which is already flying, but will be tailored to the IAF requirements. The IAF wants a twin-seater FGFA powered by a new engine "with a higher thrust". India and Russia, incidentally, will market the FGFA to "friendly third" countries at a later stage. India will keep its fingers crossed because of the Russian propensity to miss delivery schedules, jack up costs mid-way through execution of agreements and create roadblocks in transfer of technology. The failure to provide uninterrupted supply of spares or regular maintenance has been another major sore point for India. For instance, the prolonged and bitter dispute over aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov's refit cost had even led the then Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta to publicly warn that India should not put "all its defence eggs in the Russian basket". India has consciously diversified its defence imports since the 1999 Kargil conflict, turning towards countries like Israel, France, UK and now increasingly the US. Israel, in particular, is snapping at the heels of Russia, notching up sales worth over $10 billion since Kargil. But Russia still remains — and will be so in the foreseeable future — India's largest defence partner. Gorshkov will now come only in early-2013 — earlier it was slated to be delivered in August, 2008 — with India paying $2.33 billion instead of the earlier $974 million in what was thought to be 'a fixed price contract' when it was inked in January 2004. India realizes only Russia will be ready to supply it with some "sensitive" military hardware. By May-June next year, the country will get the K-152 Nerpa Akula-II nuclear-powered submarine from Russia on a 10-year lease as part of a secretive 2004 deal. Read more: 5G deal makes Russia No. 1 defence partner by a long shot - The Times of India<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/5G-deal-makes-Russia-No-1-defence-partner-by-a-long-shot/articleshow/7141969.cms#ixzz18pDq9Sui> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/5G-deal-makes-Russia-No-1-defence-partner-by-a-long-shot/articleshow/7141969.cms#ixzz18pDq9Sui -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
