India and Russia joint military projects: News

NEW DELHI: From the acquisition of S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems to the leasing of a second nuclear-powered submarine, defence minister Manohar Parrikar discussed several military projects with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Monday.

This Indo-Russian meeting of the inter-governmental commission on military-technical cooperation sets the stage for the inking of different agreements during the Modi-Putin summit in Moscow in early-December.

READ ALSO: India eyes safer skies with Russian S-400 Triumf

As was first reported by TOI on October 11, India is now finalizing the procurement of ten S-400 systems, which can destroy hostile aircraft, stealth fighters, missiles and drones at ranges up to 400-km, in what will be a game-changing acquisition. Though the cost of the government-to-government deal will be decided through negotiations, it will be upwards of $5 billion, making it one of the largest-ever arms contract to be inked with Russia.

Similarly, the Modi government is keen to kick off the almost $1 billion project for the manufacture of around 200 Russian Kamov Ka-226T light utility helicopters under the "Make in India" policy by the next financial year.

Then, as earlier reported, India is also on course to acquire a second nuclear-powered submarine on a lease from Russia. Indian Navy had inducted the first Akula-II submarine, christened INS Chakra, on a 10-year lease from Russia in April 2012, under a secret $900 million deal inked way back in January 2004.

Though India is unhappy with Russia for long delays in projects, price hikes and tardy spares support, as also selling weapons to Pakistan, New Delhi and Moscow are getting set to stitch-up several new projects in the months ahead.

With the S-400 systems, for instance, India wants to plug gaps in its airspace defence capabilities. The S-400 basically has three kinds of missiles, which can fly at supersonic and hypersonic speeds to intercept all kinds of targets at ranges from 120 to 400-km.

But Russia is still to address India's technical and price concerns over the fifth-generation fighter project, which envisages IAF inducting the Sukhoi T-50 (PAK-FA) jets. Under the original plan, 127 of these fighters were to be built in India for over $25 billion. But India is now also examining the possibility of directly buying 60-65 Sukhoi T-50s since the co-production plan has been hit by long delays.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-Russia-discuss-missile-helicopter-sub-deals-ahead-of-Modi-Putin-summit/articleshow/49633635.cms

NEW DELHI: Crack infantry troops from India and Russia will kick-off their joint combat exercise "Indra'' at the Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan from next week, with the two armies honing their counter-terrorism skills. Warships from the two countries are also slated to hold the Indra naval wargames on India's eastern seaboard from December 9 to 12.

Around 250 Russian troops will arrive in India over the weekend for the 10-day exercise to match their combat capabilities with soldiers from the Grenadiers Regiment under the Jaipur-based South-Western Command. "The aim of the exercise is to build interoperability between the two armies to undertake joint counter-terrorism operations," said an officer.

This comes a day after defence minister Manohar Parrikar discussed several military projects, ranging from the acquisition of S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems to the leasing of a second nuclear-powered submarine, with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Monday. The meeting has set the stage for the inking of different agreements during the Modi-Putin summit in Moscow in early-December, as was reported by TOI.

Russia has been India's largest defence supplier for long, notching up military sales worth over $45 billion since the 1960s, but their armed forces do not exercise much together. While the first Indra exercise was held at the Mahajan ranges in Rajasthan in 2005, the second was conducted at Pskov in Russia in 2007 and the third at Chaubattia near Ranikhet in Uttarakhand in 2009. Thereafter, the Indra exercise has been held once every year between the two armies.

The two now also hold their Indra series of naval wargames once a year. Indian and Russian air forces, in turn, held their maiden air combat exercise, Ex Avia Indra, for the first time at the Astrakhan region near the Caspian Sea in August-September last year. In sharp contrast, India and the US have held over 80 joint combat exercises over the last decade.

NEW DELHI: Crack infantry troops from India and Russia will kick-off their joint combat exercise "Indra'' at the Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan from next week, with the two armies honing their counter-terrorism skills. Warships from the two countries are also slated to hold the Indra naval wargames on India's eastern seaboard from December 9 to 12.

Around 250 Russian troops will arrive in India over the weekend for the 10-day exercise to match their combat capabilities with soldiers from the Grenadiers Regiment under the Jaipur-based South-Western Command. "The aim of the exercise is to build interoperability between the two armies to undertake joint counter-terrorism operations," said an officer.

This comes a day after defence minister Manohar Parrikar discussed several military projects, ranging from the acquisition of S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems to the leasing of a second nuclear-powered submarine, with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Monday. The meeting has set the stage for the inking of different agreements during the Modi-Putin summit in Moscow in early-December, as was reported by TOI.

Russia has been India's largest defence supplier for long, notching up military sales worth over $45 billion since the 1960s, but their armed forces do not exercise much together. While the first Indra exercise was held at the Mahajan ranges in Rajasthan in 2005, the second was conducted at Pskov in Russia in 2007 and the third at Chaubattia near Ranikhet in Uttarakhand in 2009. Thereafter, the Indra exercise has been held once every year between the two armies.

The two now also hold their Indra series of naval wargames once a year. Indian and Russian air forces, in turn, held their maiden air combat exercise, Ex Avia Indra, for the first time at the Astrakhan region near the Caspian Sea in August-September last year. In sharp contrast, India and the US have held over 80 joint combat exercises over the last decade.

India, Russia to kick-off Indra joint combat exercise next week - The Times of India

Russia’s Kalashnikov in Talks With India to Launch Joint Arms Concern

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/business/20151109/1029801382/kalashnikov-india-concern.html#ixzz3qzcah0cJ

I didn't see a topic about Indian assault rifle so I put the link here

https://www.rt.com/business/321300-kalashnikov-india-talks-production/

Russian gun maker Kalashnikov Group is in discussions with Indian firms about starting weapons production in the country, according to Kalashnikov CEO Alexei Krivoruchko.

“We are in talks with both public as well as private companies in India. But it is a bit early to offer any specific names, as we are still at negotiations," Krivoruchko told the Press Trust of India news agency (PTI) on Monday.

Discussions started in early 2015, although some Indian companies have shown an interest in producing Kalashnikov rifles since 2008, he added. He also said India’s Defense Ministry is not involved in the talks.

Don't know if India may finally agree to replace her INSAS with Russian AKs ?

Wasn't the INSAS the project to replace the AK's they had before with just a copy of an AK?

Werewolf wrote:Wasn't the INSAS the project to replace the AK's they had before with just a copy of an AK?

I thought INSAS was designed to replace Indian's FN FAL

Werewolf wrote:Wasn't the INSAS the project to replace the AK's they had before with just a copy of an AK?

Long story short, Indian replacement rifle is sh*t, including the other Fal/ak abomination they selected after INSAS failed. So the deal is to get modernised AK-103 like KSA.

I remember reading about a multi calibre version of AK12 called AK12SN or something...

It would come with a range of barrel lengths for use as a carbine up to light machinegun.

The reason I think this would be a better choice is because India reportedly prefers 7.62 x 39mm calibre weapons for urban combat and 5.56mm calibre weapons for open areas... having multicalibre weapons means they can have both.

Personally I think the high velocity small calibre rounds with heavier rounds for DMR and LMG and MMG roles is the best combo... though obviously I would prefer 5.45mm to 5.56mm.

13 November 2015 RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA

Commissioning of Russian nuclear subs in the Indian Navy will generate a huge spinoff for both India and Russia.


Russia and India – either through design or happenstance – are set to engage the western navies in an interesting game of undersea hide and seek.

Chasing nuclear submarines is how major navies earn their keep. The Russian and US fleets track each other’s subs on a 24/7 basis by listening to the acoustic signatures – a combination of noise emissions – that are unique to each type of submarine.

For several decades the Americans held the advantage as they claimed to have quieter submarines. The Russians closed the gap by the mid-1980s and today their submarines have got the inside track on the US Navy. The net result is this undersea contest has become more intense now and the stakes are a lot higher too.

Unlike surface ships and aircraft, submarines do not have markings or IFF (Identify Friend/Foe) codes that can out them. The only way to identify a sub is through its acoustics. This aspect works to the advantage of Russia and India if both have the same class of submarines.

The signature of an Indian Navy Akula is indistinguishable from the acoustics of a similar submarine with the Russian Navy, making it difficult or perhaps impossible for the Americans to tell one from the other. As more Russian nuclear submarines join the Indian Navy’s undersea fleet, it just adds to the complexity of tracking Russian submarines. The US Navy will have to divert more time, effort, vessels, aircraft and personnel to this increasingly complex job.

The US Navy does not just track the Russian fleets but Indian Navy vessels too. According to a report by the Indian Military Review (February 2014), the American P3 Orion aircraft operating in the Indian Ocean are known to generate data on both Russian and Indian submarines.

Since secrecy is paramount for the survival of submarines – which usually lack self-defence weapons – India cannot risk any country knowing the whereabouts of its second strike element. Hoping the US will not pass on information about the location of Indian submarines to Pakistan or China is not only bad policy but potentially suicidal as well. The wiser option is to achieve submarine synergies between the Russian and Indian navies and blindside anyone who is tracking their fleets.

Reports that New Delhi is in talks with Moscow to lease a second nuclear submarine for 10 years suggests this undersea synergy could be a reality in the coming years.

Akula: Wolf of the sea

The latest submarine likely to be handed over to the Indian Navy will be the K-322 Kashalot, which Russia’s Pacific Fleet had kept in reserve. This is the third time India is leasing a nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia.

The Kashalot belongs to the same Akula II class as the INS Chakra II which is currently on a 10-year lease to the Indian Navy. The 8140 ton vessel has a submerged speed of 30 knots, has achieved a dive of a phenomenal 620 metres and is equipped with eight torpedo tubes. It has an endurance of 100 days with a crew of 73. According to the RusNavy.com, the submarine achieved a Russian Navy record in 1991 by trailing foreign submarines for over 14 days without interruption.

No wonder the Indian Navy loves the Akula. “The Akula was built for one reason and one reason only: To kill US Navy ballistic missile submarines and their crews,” a US official told the Beacon. “It’s a very stealthy boat so it can sneak around and avoid detection and hope to get past any protective screen a boomer might have in place,” the official said, referring to the US Navy nickname for strategic missile submarines.

That pretty much sums up why the Akula was a big scare word among western navies during the 1980s. After a brief absence during the 1990s, when the Russian Navy shrank faster than a deflated balloon, these upgraded attack submarines are back, prowling the oceans.

Yasen for India?

If the Akula was a scareword, then the Yasen is a frightful nightmare for its opponents. The cruise-missile carrying boat was designed to target US aircraft carrier strike groups. Considering that India is a former victim of American gunboat diplomacy, the Yasen should be the perfect solution for scuttling any foreign adventurism in the Indian Ocean.

According to the US Naval Institute, “One of the US Navy’s top submarine officers was so impressed with Russia’s new (Yasen) nuclear attack boats that he had a model of K-329 Severodvinsk built for his office. Rear Admiral Dave Johnson said he had the model of Severodvinsk placed outside his office in a common area so that he could look at it every day on his way to his office.”

The 13,800 ton (more than double the size of the INS Arihant), 390 feet long submarine has a maximum “silent” speed of about 20 knots and a maximum speed of up to 40 knots. The sea endurance of these boats is limited only by food supplies.

The Yasen and similar new generation submarines have allowed the Russians to run rings around the Americans in recent years, demonstrating a quantum leap in technology and high levels of seamanship.

http://in.rbth.com/economics/2015/07/13/russia_offers_india_a_super_submarine_44197

According to strategic affairs expert Bharat Karnad, “Despite the vaunted anti-submarine warfare capabilities of the US Navy, a Victor III class Russian SSN....tailed an Ohio-class SSBN almost to its pen in Guam without anybody getting wind of it — that’s how loud the US boomer is in turbulence terms and how little turbulence is generated by the Russian boat.”

He adds: “Russian subs have since the sixties carried electro-optical devices in the sail and the hull to detect turbulence and identify enemy subs by their turbulence signatures. The Yasen can be in the SSGN cruise missile-carrying configuration, or, if India so wishes, it can be modified to carry a mixed ordnance load of conventional cruise missiles and nuclear ballistic missiles. That would be a devastating dual-purpose land attack-cum-strategic targeting weapons platform nonpareil to have in the Indian Navy service. There’s nothing like the Yasen-class with the Chinese Navy.”



http://in.rbth.com/2015/11/13/the-rusia-india-submarine-tango-will-blindside-the-us-navy_539799

article is rubbish. US asw skills aren't that great. Mind you. Don't believe in the propaganda that US keep track of Russian subs 24/7, nope.

max steel wrote:article is rubbish. US asw skills aren't that great. Mind you. Don't believe in the propaganda that US keep track of Russian subs 24/7, nope.

well bro the article says the US tries weather they succeed or not is not clear but article also says some interesting things about Russian subs trailing US ships as below

“Despite the vaunted anti-submarine warfare capabilities of the US Navy, a Victor III class Russian SSN....tailed an Ohio-class SSBN almost to its pen in Guam without anybody getting wind of it — that’s how loud the US boomer is in turbulence terms and how little turbulence is generated by the Russian boat.”

He adds: “Russian subs have since the sixties carried electro-optical devices in the sail and the hull to detect turbulence and identify enemy subs by their turbulence signatures. The Yasen can be in the SSGN cruise missile-carrying configuration, or, if India so wishes, it can be modified to carry a mixed ordnance load of conventional cruise missiles and nuclear ballistic missiles. That would be a devastating dual-purpose land attack-cum-strategic targeting weapons platform nonpareil to have in the Indian Navy service. There’s nothing like the Yasen-class with the Chinese Navy.”

I've proof showing US asw skills aren't upto the mark( PS:- But still it's better than many countries, mind you). No idea about Russian ASW skills though.

max steel wrote:I've proof showing US asw skills aren't upto the mark( PS:- But still it's better than many countries, mind you). No idea about Russian ASW skills though.

Well Russia successfully identified and repelled a U.S. Virginia Class attack sub in the Arctic, before it entered Russian naval borders in the August of 2014:

https://www.rt.com/news/179216-us-submarine-russian-waters/

I keep my word.

The Russian government has proposed that funds allocated in the 2016 federal budget to the authorized capital of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), be directed to the development of Indian-Russian multirole transport aircraft (MTA) – the MS-21 aircraft family. Alexey Lavrov, Deputy Finance Minister, stated this while introducing an amendment at a meeting of the State Duma Budget and Taxes Committee.






The corresponding amendment to the draft federal budget for 2016 has been proposed by the government. Lavrov said the development of the MTA aircraft project is being delayed. “In this connection, we are proposing to authorize the capital contributions, being made from the state budget, be directed towards the building of the MS-21 aircraft,” he said.
Andrey Makarov, Chairman of the Budget Committee, proposed postponing the decision on this amendment until November 27.

“These funds are there all the time; they are not being used and are sitting in the deposit accounts of the company. Let us postpone this amendment until Friday,” he said. The parliamentarian asked to have an official briefing paper submitted by Friday, showing what kind of proceeds have been received in connection with this project, how are they being used, and how much additional funding is being proposed for the UAC from the federal budget.

The UAC has significant unused funds sitting in its bank accounts, received in the form of contributions to its share capital in 2009 and 2011 from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. These were made to finance Russia’s obligations in this project, involving the building of a Russian-Indian multirole transport aircraft. The UAC, with approval of the Ministry of Industry and Trade converted these unused funds into US dollars in 2011. The resulting income, from 2011, amounted to 539.1 million rubles and $24.3 million, or around 1,534 billion rubles, while the remaining unused contributions to share capital on October 30, 2015 (taking into account changes in the ruble/dollar exchange rate) now amounts to 17.857 billion rubles.

The Chamber of Accounts has noted that there was no information available on the completion of negotiations or on the conclusion of a contract to perform experimental design work on the development of the MTA. No decision has been made on a schedule to utilize the unused UAC funds. In this regard, the Chamber of Accounts has proposed that UAC distribute these unused funds as contributions to the charter capital of its subsidiaries, subject to a corresponding decision by the Russian government.

An intergovernmental agreement between Russia and India to jointly develop and build the MTA aircraft was signed in 2007. This was the first time that these two countries had concluded an agreement on equal-share joint financing of a new project in the aircraft industry. This aircraft is to be manufactured in both Russia and in India. According to its technical specifications, the MTA is classified as a medium military transport aircraft, which can carry a wide-variety of cargo weighing up to 20 tons at distances of over 2,000 kilometres, using paved and unpaved runways. The aircraft will also be able to operate from high-altitude airfields in any geographic and climatic conditions.

The MS-21 is a Russian airliner that was built to replace the Tu-154 and Tu-134. The MS-21 comes in three versions: MS-21-200 (150 seats), MS-21-300 (180 seats) and MS-21-400 (212 seats).

Earlier, Yury Slyusar, head of the United Aircraft Corporation reported that this aircraft would be rolled out in Irkutsk later this year, and is expected to take its first flight in mid-2016

http://www.defencenews.in/article/Russian-Cabinet-approves-new-Indo-Russian-joint-MTA-899

"Russia will sign a contract with India soon to provide after-warranty maintenance for the Indian aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, CEO of the Sevmash shipyard, part of Russia’s United Ship-Building Corporation, Mikhail Budnichenko said on Monday. The ship Vikramaditya is the former Russian-made Project 11434 aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov transferred to the Indian Navy after its upgrade.
"As for the after-sale service as an integral part of the aircraft carrier’s after-warranty maintenance, the issue is currently under discussion with the Indian side. A final decision is expected in the imminent future at the next round of talks," Budnichenko said.

In 2015, the Sevmash shipyard has fulfilled its obligations to provide warranty services for the aircraft carrier’s equipment, except for its several systems, and switched to its after-warranty maintenance, Budnichenko said. The Sevmash is assisting the Indian Navy in providing maintenance services for some of the aircraft carrier’s equipment. "We continue cooperating with our Indian partners actively. The Indian Navy commanders have said that all the ship’s systems and mechanisms allow its crew to accomplish assigned missions," the CEO said. According to Budnichenko, the aircraft carrier and deck-based aviation are being used "very intensively." Meanwhile, a group of Russian specialists staying in India on a permanent basis "is removing the ship’s imperfections quickly and providing for its maintenance at a high professional level" in close cooperation with its crew and Western Fleet commanders, Budnichenko said.



The Indian Navy received the aircraft carrier from Russia in November 2013 after the Sevmash shipyard modernized it. Under a package intergovernmental agreement signed in New Delhi in 2004, India received the hull of the Russian-made aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov for free but on the condition that it would be modernized at the Sevmash shipyard and armed with Russian-made aircraft. After the repairs, the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya has a displacement of 45,400 tons, a length of 283 meters and a hangar length of 130 meters. The ship has a modern flight deck and a ski-jump ramp for aircraft takeoff, navigation and radar systems, aircraft communication and control systems and other special equipment and mechanisms. The aircraft carrier has a full speed of 29 knots and endurance of 7,000 miles at a speed of 18 knots. The ship can carry 30 aircraft, including Mikoyan MiG-29K/KUB (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-D) multipurpose fighter jets and Kamov Ka-27/Ka-31 (Helix) helicopters. The ship’s crew totals 1,200 with a 450-strong air wing."

Source: http://navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3293

New Delhi will purchase Russian-developed Su-30MKI aircraft and Indian-made TejasMK-II planes as well as French-built Rafale fighters for Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said.

Su-30MKI
© FLICKR/ MATT MORGAN
India to Launch BrahMos Cruise Missiles From Su-30MKI Fighter Jets
NEW DELHI (Sputnik) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande agreed to supply the Indian Air Force with 36 French-built Rafale multirole fighters in April. Initially India planned to buy 126 Rafale jets to modernize its air force.
"We are looking forward to receiving the Rafales. Apart from this, there are other aircraft we are looking at. We will also be getting more Su-30MKIs. An order has also been placed for 120 Tejas Mk-IIs. There are many plans and things will change in the next 10-12 years," Raha said on Sunday, as quoted by The Economic Times.

He added that the need for new fighters stems from the upcoming retirement of the country's Mig-27 ML fighter jets that have not been upgraded in recent years.

India is planning to form several additional fighter squadrons in the near future.



Read more: http://sputniknews.com/asia/20151130/1030978776/india-air-force.html#ixzz3tAydikDo

India and Russia are likely to sign several high profile defence agreements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow for his annual summit with President Vladimir Putin. The deals include a mega contract to acquire S-400 anti-ballistic missile systems at a cost of around Rs 70,000 crores, top sources in the Defence Ministry said.



Mr Modi is likely to visit Moscow immediately after the winter session of Parliament, most probably on December 24-25. Other defence deals, which may on the table include the purchase of 48 Mi-17V5 attack helicopters for the IAF and 50 Kamov multirole choppers for the Indian Navy. Talks to lease one more nuclear submarine from Russia seems to have hit the road block. “We are no more considering to lease the nuclear submarine,” said a top level naval official.

The Russians had offered Kashalot K-322 nuclear power submarine of project 971 Shchuka to India and the talks were going on for some months. Indian Navy is already operating a Nerpa class Russian nuclear-powered submarine ‘INS Chakra,’ which it leased from Moscow in 2012 for ten years. The Indian Navy operated a Russian nuclear submarine for ten years back in the early 1980s.

The Russians have offered to upgrade the submarine based on Indian requirements and promised to handover the charge of the vessel in 2018 after the repair, upgrade and testing work and the Indian crew’s training are completed. The official would not say why the talks for leasing submarine is not fructifying. However, deal for S-400 missile system said to be firmly on track.


The modalities, including the price of deal and number of systems to be acquired, were agreed upon during the meeting of India-Russia Inter Governmental Commission on Military-Technical-Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) which was co-chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in the first week of last month

Source: http://www.defencenews.in/article/India-set-to-ink-defence-deals-worth-more-than-1-Lakh-Cr-(USD-15bn)-with-Russia-1160

India and Russia are exploring the possibility of setting up a joint venture in India to improve supply of spares for the Sukhoi-30 frontline fighter aircraft. The two sides are also in advance negotiations for a long term agreement for spares for the fleet, of which just over 50 per cent are operational at any given point of time.

“We recently got an inquiry from India for a long term spares agreement for five years. It will increase the serviceability of the aircraft. Spares contract will allow us to deliver to deliver spares faster once we get an indent from the Air Force,” Valery V Chishchevoy, Marketing Director of Sukhoi told visiting Indian journalists who are in Moscow as part of a media tour organised by United Aircraft Corporation of Russia.

The agreement will simplify the bureaucratic procedures for procuring spares and hence cut the time required to process any request from the Air Force by simplifying procedures like customs, bank guarantees, letter of credit and so on. The prices for spares and a method for price escalation will also be factored in, company officials said.

The idea is to eventually increase serviceability to 75 per cent for the Air Force’s Sukhoi fleet. Sukhois are the main stay of the Air Force but have poor availability due to spares and maintenance issues. Currently it takes 4-12 months from the time Air Force has a requirement to the time production begins in Russia after necessary approvals. The effort is to bring that down, Sukhoi officials said.

Earlier this year Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had informed Parliament that efforts were on to improve the serviceability rate of Sukhoi’s to 75 per cent by this year end from the current level of 56-57 per cent.

“We have been trying to improve the serviceability of Sukhois. It has improved by seven% in last 8-9 months to reach to 56-57 per cent,” he told the Rajya Sabha, exuding hope that it would go up to 75 per cent by the year end.

India and Russia started working on a long-term agreement in 2006 and eventually agreed on a technical assistance agreement in 2012 for aircraft maintenance and spares which brought down time of repairs of aircraft to be sent to Russia from 8-15 months to 60 days said Viacheslav Yu. Lozan, Director of After Sales Centre of Sukhoi. However both sides felt the need to further improve the availability of spares to increase the availability of the aircraft.

As part the spares agreement Sukhoi is exploring possibility of setting up of a Joint Venture with an Indian partner in India to ensure quick availability of spares.

Though the company is open for tie up with private players, Mr. Chishchevoy said that at the moment Indian private players are not ready to take up such complex technological work and added that they have had good experience working with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

India has contracted for 272 Su-30 MKI aircraft and the Air Force has already inducted over 200 of them with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited licensing manufacturing the aircraft in India.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indiabased-jv-being-considered-for-supply-of-sukhoi30-spares/article7960633.ece

MOSCOW: Russia's top aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi is exploring the possibility of investing in an Indian joint venture (JV) for the maintenance and spares production of its combat aircraft Su 30 in what could make India a hub for the fighter fleets operating in the region.

Atop Sukhoi executive told ETthat the liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) norms have opened the possibility of a JV and the Russian manufacturer is in talks with Indian private sector companies.

"In the near future, we may establish a joint venture and create a unit in India for service and maintenance that can implement repair and overhauls of the aircraft and engines jointly. We can also cover all the other nations in the region and repair and service their aircraft in India," Valery V Chishchevoy, marketing director of Sukhoi, told ET.

The executive said while similar plans were discussed in the past, the recent changes in the FDI policy has opened up a real possibility of setting up such a unit. On being asked by ET if Sukhoi would consider its traditional partner — Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) — or other Indian players for the proposed JV, Chishchevoy said the Russian entity is in talks with private companies and that Tata is the only one with technical expertise.

"We are also open to other companies (than HAL). We have met some private companies on this issue but we have the impression that they don't have the experience to be involved in such a big project. Except for Tata, which has some good experience that also comes from automobile manufacturing, other companies are not yet capable to undertake this," the Sukhoi official said.

Maintenance and servicing of the Su 30 could mean big business, considering that the air force is believed to be spending well over Rs 3,000 crore annually on the fleet.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/russias-sukhoi-optimistic-about-tata-for-india-joint-venture/articleshow/50099704.cms

MOSCOW: India and Russia are set to sign a landmark deal to jointly manufacture new generation of light military choppers under the Make in India initiative during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow later this month.


The light choppers are desperately needed by Army to replace ageing Cheetah/Chetak helicopters that are deployed to support troops at high altitude areas

While the inter governmental contract for producing over 200 of the Kamov 226 choppers will be inked, a top Russian official has said that other details, including the selection of the Indian partner for the $ 1 billion deal will be decided later.

"We have been discussing the production of the Ka 226 in India for a long time and we hope that during the visit of the Indian Prime Minister we will sign the agreement. Russian Helicopters and its subsidiaries and component manufacturers are ready to supply kits for its assembly in India as well as to localize production," Deputy Minister Andrey Boginskiy of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade told ET.

The official said that a second level agreement would be signed between Russian Helicopters and the Indian partner at a later date. However, he said that it was up to India to choose who would manufacture the chopper under the Make in India plan.

"We are ready to work with any partner chosen by the Indian side. The main thing is that it should be financially and technically capable of taking on such a large project," Boginskiy said. As reported by ET earlier, the Russian side had already sent two letters to India, saying that it ready to partner with both Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL) and Anil Ambani owned Reliance Defence for the contract.

The initial choppers will be produced from Russian supplied kits but would be progressively indigenized. The Russian official said that France, which supplies the engines for the chopper, is already on board for technology transfer as well.

"This helicopter uses French engines and we have had talks with them and they are ready to sell, service and repair and carry out the whole cycle of work in India for the project," the official said.

The light choppers are desperately needed by the Army to replace its fleet of ageing Cheetah/Chetak helicopters that are deployed to support troops posted at high altitude areas, including the Siachen glacier. While the initial contract would be for 200 choppers, the number is expected to swell much beyond due to the massive demand as well as applications for the civil market.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/50121810.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

NEW DELHI: With Russia keen on joint development and manufacturing of aerospace and military systems in India, a large business delegation is likely to accompany PM Narendra Modi when he travels to Moscow on December 24.

The CEOs delegation would include most Indian players keen on the aerospace and defence sectors, including Tata, Mahindra Reliance and the Gurgaon based Sun Group.

Officials in India and Russia and told ET that the CEOs forum will be given high importance during Modi's Moscow visit with Russia's top aerospace companies keen on pitching for the joint manufacturing of components and parts for both civil and military programs in India and forming JVcompanies.


The umbrella company that controls most Russian aviation programs has said that it is hopeful of tying up with Indian private sector companies during the Modi visit. "We are discussing options for manufacturing aircraft components in India with the largest companies like Tata, Mahindra and Reliance. A business summit is planned during the Indian PMs visit ad we hope to move forward on this then," President of the United Aircraft Co, Yury Slyusar told ET.

The top official, who is in charge of aircraft companies including Sukhoi and MiG, said that specific talks have already taken place with Tata on the manufacturing of rudders and directional control systems for the Sukhoi Super Jet (SSJ) - a regional jet. Talks are already on for specific projects with companies like Tata and Reliance. Top Indian CEOs from all major companies are expected to accompany the Prime Minister, with Sun Group's Shiv Khemka likely to play a major role in coordinating the CEOs forum.

Industry body CII will be involved in sending the delegation of top executives from India. A CII team is already in Russia and a final list of the business delegation is being drawn up.

Russia is also keen to expand beyond the military field to the civil aerospace sector. "We would like to look at civil cooperation as well. Indian companies can make components for our Sukhoi Super Jet as well as the MC 21 airliner...," Dy Minister Andrey Boginskiy of the Russian Ministry of Industry and trade told ET


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NEW DELHI: Differences between India and Russia on a key project to jointly develop a military transport aircraft (MTA) are widening, with a high level intervention likely during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow later this month to get things back on track.

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Officials in both countries have shared with ET that the MTA project - which plans to develop a develop a new 20 ton transporter to replace the ageing Indian fleet of An 32 aircraft with a $ 300 million investment from each side - is on thin ground with Moscow now planning to go ahead alone if the Indian side does not come on board.

The main point of contention is the engine for the new generation transporter. Sources in India have told ET that the air force is insisting on a new generation engine with a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system to give adequate power the new plane

However, due to delays in the project, Moscow is now going ahead with a different engine, the PS 90 that powers its new generation IL 76 transporters for the MTA project. The Russian side believes that the new variant of its PS 90 engine will offer adequate performance for the aircraft and a FADEC power plant is not necessary.

With both sides not budging, the MTA project has been stuck for a year, with all other work, including the preliminary design stage stitched up. The Russian side also says that the requirement of a FADEC was put up by the Indian air force at a later stage and for the performance required, the system is not needed.

"The PS 90 does not have FADEC but the necessity of such a system was not there in the technical specifications initially. It was added later. The technical requirement (for performance) are fully satisfied with the PS 90 engine," President of Russia's overarching United Aircraft Company (UAC) Yury Slyusar told ET.

Russian experts have analyzed other available engines for the project, including western ones but insist that the PS 90 is the best solution and would provide commonality with India's upgraded IL 76 fleet.

"So the official status is that we have finished the advanced preliminary design stage over a year ago but that has to be accepted by the Indian side. We hope they accept the design and move forward," Slyusar says.

Officials in India however insist that the PS 90 would not be adequate in meeting the long term requirements of the air force, given that the MTA would remain n service for almost three decades. A possible solution to the stalemate is being considered and may be fleshed out during high level discussions that are expected during the Modi visit. One could be going ahead with the project with the development of an engine complaint to Indian requirement taking place concurrently

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