India Likely To Sign $15 Billion Defence Deals With Russia

Moscow and New Delhi are likely to sign defense agreements worth around $15 billion that include S-400 missile defense system, Mi-175V attack helicopters, Kamov multirole choppers during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow.

Modi is likely to visit Moscow probably on December 24-25. Defense deals include the purchase of 48 Mi-17V5 attack helicopters for the IAF and 50 Kamov multirole choppers for the Indian Navy. Talks to lease one more nuclear submarine from Russia seems to have hit the road block. “We are no more considering to lease the nuclear submarine,” said a top level Indian naval official.

Russia had offered Kashalot K-322 nuclear power submarine of project 971 Shchuka to India and the talks were going on for some months. Indian Navy is already operating a Nerpa class Russian nuclear-powered submarine ‘INS Chakra,’ which it leased from Moscow in 2012 for ten years. The Indian Navy operated a Russian nuclear submarine for ten years back in the early 1980s.

The Russians have offered to upgrade the submarine based on Indian requirements and promised to handover the charge of the vessel in 2018 after the repair, upgrade and testing work and the Indian crew’s training are completed. The official would not say why the talks for leasing submarine are not fructifying. However, deal for S-400 missile system said to be firmly on track.

The modalities, including the price of deal and number of systems to be acquired, were agreed upon during the meeting of India-Russia Inter Governmental Commission on Military-Technical-Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) which was co-chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in the first week of last month.