Austin wrote:The Indo-Russian defence relationship is such that there is a rule that Russia will not sell defence equipment to Pakistan and Pakistan does not have much money to buy either.
Austin , good points . I will make a few addendums to your's if you permit .
Actualy Pakistan does have Mi 17 helos that are being used for counter insurgency but a significant number ( along with Apaches ) are being placed on the borders with India to blast out Indian T 72 & T 90 battalions .
India does not have a right to say to Russia do not sell to Pakistan . Russia can if it wants to . The Kremlin realizes that any thing that is remotely hitech if sold to Pakistan will find it's way into China ( if not US) . That's a big deterrent to the sale of hi tech weapons to Pakistan . You are right . Pakistan does NOT have much money . But they never had that . They will get money from Saudi Arabia or UAE and thereafter make the payment .
Similarly , India does NOT have to apologize to Russia if it purchases weapons from a third party . India is not purchasing weapons to fight Russia . But China is purchasing weapons from Russia to use against India . And so is Pakistan . It makes sense to have a few wild cards up your sleeves if they are from a different vendors .
It's essential to remember that the PAK FA is not going to be a silver bullet as many in India are claiming . Maybe against Pakistan but certainly not against China .
Once China starts deploying the S 400 in the Tibetan plateau whatever advantages the PAK FA or Super Sukhoi gives India will simply .... evaporate .
Moreover, China will never allow Russia or any other country to become a major supplier to Pakistan as Pakistan is it's largest customer and China loans out substantial amount to Pakistan as soft loans so that Pakistan can afford to purchase Chinese hardware.
Austin wrote:As an India I feel ashamed about this fact and its felt in day to day things we do.
You don't need to . The LIBOR scam in the UK was worth .... hold your breath $550 TRILLION .
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/uk-libor-nyse-idUKBRE9680G420130709
I am not saying that be corrupt and be proud . Just that we talk about corruption the west doesn't . The entire financial crisis was an invent of the West . That's corruption 101 .
Austin wrote:The only hope for Russia besides India is China and they arnt buying much either.
For hi tech weapons that is . China has achieved a self sufficiency in most areas . Plus they have one of the world's most remarkable pool of cyber warriors who have stolen everything from W 89 blueprint to F 35s DASS operational features .
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-29/reports-chinese-hackers-targeted-us/4719352
Austin wrote:I believe what ever happens atleast in the next decade some big deals are in progress or could be signed.
Also , the volume of military trade is so huge that even if you and I are to carry on this discussion 50 years from now Russia would still remain a major player in India . According to figures provided on the Russian president’s official website kremlin.ru , India accounted for 27% of Russian weapon sales in 2012-13 making it the largest importer . Between 1965 till date that has by and large been India's position ( either 1 or 2) . That being said , figures don't often tell the whole picture . PAKFA , BRAHMOS 2 , MTA will NOT be treated as a "export to India" no matter into how many billions these figures run .
Austin wrote:FGFA ,Indo-Russian MTA , Brahmos-2/Brahmos , 2nd Line of Submarine not sure but something else might come up too.
Yes . Interesting that no one asks the question why did Russia approach India for these projects ? It was a win win situation for both countries . With defense being a priority only for Anglo Saxons there are not too many countries that would spend billions on these projects . Then there is Smerch MLRS which started local production in India . Not to forget that Big Daddy of all deals . The $45 billion nuclear deal .
http://indrus.in/articles/2012/12/26/india_russia_to_embark_on_45_bln_nuclear_energy_roadmap_21291.html
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-12-26/news/36007954_1_sistema-imperial-energy-glonass
I will further add that I don't know why other countries have NOT yet joined these projects . That would have had the potential to lower costs .
Austin wrote:I think where Indo Russia truly lack is trade relationship we are just $10 billion in Trade and back then during FSU days our tade numbers were $35 billion.
True . That's because some of Russia's major trading partners are those with which it has either a direct border or a land route is possible through CIS . I ' ll wager though that Russia & India are working on connecting an Iranian port to the Caucasus via a rail route .