Article Posted on : - Oct 06, 2010

India - Russia FGFA

NEW DELHI (PTI): Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) deal worth USD 25 billion and leasing of Akula-II nuclear submarine are likely to top the agenda when India and Russia hold their annual talks on defence cooperation here on Thursday.

Defence Minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov will meet here for the 10th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) to discuss a range of issues.

Serdyukov, who will be co-chairing the Commission along with Antony, will arrive here Wednesday accompanied by a large delegation of Russian defence ministry and industry representatives.

The IRIGC-MTC, headed by the Defence Ministers of the two countries, was instituted in the year 2000 with an objective to further the bilateral defence cooperation.

Nine meetings of the Commission have been held so far, in New Delhi and Moscow, every alternate year.

The two Defence Ministers are also expected to discuss regional and global security issues. "Since the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries in the year 2000, the two governments have steadily developed and strengthened bilateral cooperation covering a range of areas, of which defence forms a significant component," a Defence ministry statement here said.

The two countries share a vibrant and a multifaceted military technical cooperation which includes not only supply of defence equipment and systems, but also collaboration in Research and Development and production.

As far as FGFA was concerned, India plans to get 250 of the fighter jets for the Air Force, while the nuclear submarine will be leased by the Navy for 10 years to train its personnel before INS Arihant indigenous submarine joins the fleet.

Among other issue that is expected to come up during the talks include co-development of a Hypersonic BRAHMOS Missile, a joint venture between the two countries. The two countries have already developed a BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile for the Army, Air Force and Navy.

The two sides also have agreements for India to produce T-90 tanks for its army under licensing. India would be having 1,640 T-90s in service by 2020.

Recently, India's HAL signed a contract with the Russian Rosoboronexport for joint development of multi-role transport aircraft.