By Anthony Bell
The use of Russian weapons and military equipment (WME) in real combat conditions has increased the interest of foreign customers in it. This was announced by the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) of the Russian Federation Dmitry Shugaev on the eve of the international air show “Aero India-2023“.
“The special military operation provided an opportunity for foreign specialists to see the use of Russian military products in real combat conditions and to be convinced of their high tactical and technical characteristics and reliability, which increased the partners’ interest in Russian weapons and military equipment,” he said.
According to Shugaev, the Asian region has a great potential for further development of cooperation with Russia. “Russian military products supplied in the interests of Asian partners are distinguished by high reliability and durability in operating conditions in a tropical climate, which has earned its worthy reputation,” said the head of the FSMTC.
As customers of Russian weapons have already seen, they are superior to Western counterparts in a number of characteristics.
Russia, despite the sanctions, fulfills all its obligations in the field of military-technical cooperation (MTC) and offers new areas of cooperation in the military-technical sphere. Since the 1990s, interaction between Russia and the countries of the Asian region has been steadily growing in all areas of bilateral relations, including in the field of military-technical cooperation.
According to him, the traditional partners of the Russian Federation are still showing interest in acquiring a wide range of Russian military products: Su-30 aircraft, MiG-29 family, including carrier-based MiG-29K/KUB, Yak-130, Mi-17 helicopters, Mi-24/35 and Ka-28/31, unmanned aerial vehicles “Orlan-10E”, complexes for combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), anti-aircraft missile systems S-400 “Triumph”, anti-aircraft missile systems of types “Osa”, “Cube/Kvadrat”, “Pechora”, “Strela”, anti-aircraft missile and gun systems of the “Tunguska” and “Pantsir” types, man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) of the “Strela” and “Igla” types.
As the head of the FSMTC stressed, India continues to be Russia’s partner in the field of military-technical cooperation, despite the unprecedented pressure from Western countries led by the United States in connection with the special military operation. The portfolio of orders is more than 10 billion US dollars.
The Russian side expects, in particular, the signing of a contract for the supply and organization of licensed production in India of MANPADS “Igla-S”.
In 2021, Russia sent all the necessary proposals for Ka-31 early warning helicopters to Indian partners, and is awaiting an invitation to contract negotiations.
Currently, contract negotiations are underway for the supply of technological kits for licensed production of Su-30MKI aircraft in India.
Negotiations with India on the production of Ka-226T helicopters have been frozen because the Russian partner is not satisfied with the level of localization proposed by the joint venture. At the same time, the Indian Ministry of Defense is considering the purchase of finished vehicles from Russia. “Unfortunately, negotiations with Indian partners on the level of localization of the production of Ka-226T helicopters are practically frozen. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of India, they are not satisfied with the level of localization offered by the joint venture. At present, updated proposals for the localization of helicopter production in India have been handed over to Indian partners, which provide for 70 percent localization. The decision of the Indian side to continue the negotiation process is expected,” the FSMTC said.
The Indian State Aircraft Corporation Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) offers the Indian Armed Forces a light multi-purpose helicopter of its own design, but it is significantly inferior to the Russian helicopter in terms of performance characteristics. In this regard, the Indian military department is considering the possibility of purchasing ready-made Ka-226Ts, but so far there have been no concrete decisions.
Military-technical cooperation between Russia and India began in the 1950s. Currently, the Indian armed forces are 70% equipped with Soviet/Russian-made weapons. In the period from 1991 to 2019, contract agreements were signed for $70 billion, of which $14.5 billion were signed in 2017–2019. The current program of interaction between countries in the defense sphere, designed for 2021-2031, includes the implementation of more than 200 joint projects, among the latest is the supply of Russian long-range S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems.
In addition, cooperation between countries in the military-technical sphere is carried out within the framework of joint ventures (JVs). Thus, in 1998, BrahMos Aerospace JV was founded to develop and manufacture BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. Various versions of the missile are in service with the Indian Air Force, Navy and Army. In 2019, the Indian-Russian enterprise Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited was established to produce AK-203 Kalashnikov assault rifles. Their release began in January 2023.
Unlike Western countries cooperating with India in the field of defense products, only Russia is transferring technology for the production of modern weapons to the Indian side. This is clearly seen in the activities of the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture, which received technology from the Russian side for the production of BrahMos multi-purpose supersonic missiles.
There is an intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation between the countries.
The author is an independent military analyst.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited.