Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW
India is to start licence production of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighter next year. The agreement was finalised in early November during a visit to New Delhi by Ilya Klebanov, Russia's deputy prime minister, who has responsibility for the defence industry. A contract will be signed later this year.
An agreement on further military/technical co-operation was also signed by the Russian deputy defence minister Nicolai Mikhailov and his Indian counterpart TP Prasad.
The agreement covers the supply of equipment to the Indian armed forces and the joint-development of weapon systems. It provides the foundation for a broad co-operation deal to be signed during a visit by Russian president Boris Yeltsin next year.
India has received 18 Su-30Ks and is due to take delivery of 32Su-30MKIs which have been built by Irkutsk-based IAPO.
India has also selected the MAPOMiG-29K Fulcrum to equip the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which it plans to buy from Russia. Sukhoi offered the Indian Navy Su-27KUB/Su-33 naval fighters. It also offered, in the longer term, the S-56, a single-engined light fighter yet to be designed. MAPO will develop a two-seat naval trainer, theMiG-29KUB, to support MiG-29K operations.
Klebanov also discussed plans for modernising India's Soviet-built surface-to-air missile systems, and deliveries of various missiles to the Indian Navy.
• The first two strategic bombers - a Tupolev Tu-160 and Tupolev Tu-95MS - of the 11 to be handed over by the Ukraine to Russia flew to Engels airbase, in southern Russia on 6 November.
Source: Flight International
