Our Economic Bureau

New Delhi, June 14: India and Russia are poised to move their bilateral defence relationship from a supplier-consumer framework to a new joint venture-based business partnership amounting to several billion dollars over the next few years. Last week’s visit by external affairs and defence minister Jaswant Singh to Moscow seems to have set the tone for a new “post-Cold War” strategic relationship between the former Cold War partners.

According to senior defence ministry sources, India and Russia have agreed to jointly develop several weapons systems, study the feasibility of manufacturing a 100-seater aircraft and a range of missiles. Ministry of defence (MoD) sources said, “Russia has proved to be a reliable and economical source of good quality armaments. We have never had any problem of securing supplies and getting spare parts whenever we needed them. Sanctions against sales to India has never been a problem with Russia. This makes it a dependable source.”

Over the past four years, India has purchased $10 billion of defence equipment from Russia. Over the next few years, the sum is likely to be a multiple of this figure. A Russian AWACS type airborne radar system alone is expected to cost India Rs 1,000 crore. If India agrees to purchase the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and equip it with Russia fighter jets, it would be another megabuck deal. The shape of things to come in the India-Russia defence cooperation is best exemplified by BrahMos, the supersonic cruise missile test fired this week off the Orissa coast, say MoD officials. The missile, PJ-10, was jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostrayenia. While the missile’s propulsion system was Russian, the electronic guidance mechanism was developed by DRDO. Defence ministry sources say there will be more such examples of jointly developed weapons systems. During his Moscow visit, Mr Singh met the Russian Prime Minister, foreign minister, defence minister and officials of the Russian National Security Council. MoD officials expressed deep satisfaction with the tone and tenor of the interaction between Mr Singh and his Russian interlocutors.