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India, Russia Close To Signing Unprecedented Defense Cooperation
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Klebanov and Advani agree on increased Russo-Indian military cooperation |
By Zafarul-Islam Khan,
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (IslamOnline) - The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov is expected to sign a number of far-reaching agreements with India during his current visit to New Delhi.
In a clear departure from the seller-buyer relationship, the agreements pave the way for Indian participation in the finance and development of the latest, fifth generation, Russian fighter aircraft, renting two nuclear submarines and agreeing on a mechanism to supply arms and ammunition to India during an emergency - like a war.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov was in India last week to pave the way for the current high level visit. Thereafter, a Russian technical delegation traveled to India to agree in advance on many of the issues to be discussed and finalized during the current visit.
Klebanov is heading a 70-member Russian delegation to the Joint Indo-Russian Governmental Commission for Technical Military Cooperation which was formed during the October 2000 visit of Russian President Putin to New Delhi to provide an institutional framework for the Indo-Russian defense cooperation until 2010.
An important outcome of Ivanov's visit last week was to finally convince India to participate in the Russia-China-India 'axis' Moscow has been keen to develop in recent months. Earlier, India had flatly refused to consider this proposition, because since the 1962 Indo-China war, Delhi has considered China as the biggest threat to its security and territorial integrity.
The idea behind the proposed informal 'axis' is to work together in order to prevent the total American domination over Asia in general and over Central Asia in particular. Now India has come round to accept the Russian ideas and has expressed willingness to move "slowly" in this direction.
During the current visit of the Russian deputy prime minister, a number of important agreements are expected to be signed, including the rental of two nuclear submarines to join the Indian electric-diesel submarine fleet of 16.
According to reports emanating from Moscow last week, India may get the two nuclear "Project-971" submarines by the year 2004. Russia had stopped the production of this type of submarines due to financial constraints but now the Indian order will revive the project.
Last week, Indian Navy chief Admiral Mahuvendra Singh had refused to confirm or deny the news from Moscow but sources in Delhi said that negotiations for the renting of the two submarines have been going on for quite some time.
These nuclear submarines are considered "very sophisticated" and the Indian Navy will need two and a half years to train on them. They can cruise at very high speed and reach the farthest corners of the world with heavy payloads, including nuclear warheads.
Acquisition of the nuclear submarines will complete the Indian nuclear 'triangle'. The Indian air force and the army already enjoy nuclear capabilities.
India had earlier rented a 'Charlie-1" class nuclear submarine from Russia during 1988-1991 for the Indian navy to train on such submarines. The Indian navy was completely satisfied with the rented submarine but American pressure on Russia led Moscow to decline renewal of the rental agreement.
Meanwhile, India was struggling to manufacture its own indigenous nuclear submarine. However, the project has been marred with delays. Hence, the Indian navy is keen to acquire nuclear submarines from Russia in order to ward off increasing pressure in the Indian Ocean, particularly from the Chinese navy.
Sources in Delhi say that Russia has put forward a number of conditions on the use of the rented nuclear submarines, but the nature of these conditions could not be ascertained.
In addition to the agreement on the purchase of a number of other hardware like aircraft and tanks as well as ammunitions, an agreement is expected for renting out to India two TU-22 navy fighter aircraft which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Also known as "Backfire", Russia has not offered this aircraft to any other country before.
The Indian army has been traditionally equipped with Russian hardware. India is the second country after China in terms of the volume of purchase of Russian military hardware. Together, India and China buy 80 percent of the Russian arms. During the last four years, Russia has sold $10 billion worth of arms.
However, the most important project will be the Indian participation in the financial and technical development of the fifth generation Russian fighter aircraft which will be the Russian response to the American "Joint Strike Fighter" being developed by Washington currently.
India and Russia have already some collaboration of this kind. They are co-developing "Brahmos" naval missile which has a range of 300 kilometers and can be fired from land, sea and air. It has already been tested once. India is also manufacturing under license 140 Sukhoi-30 aircraft at a cost of $3 billions. The current discussions will also include Indian participation in the production of civilian aircraft.
Another important agreement that may be signed during this visit will be for the acquisition of the 40,000-ton Admiral Groshkov aircraft carrier that Russia is "gifting" to India but demands $636 million as 'refitting' charges. Indians, however, have reservations about these charges.
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