Russia to help India develop nuclear submarine
PTI PRINT EMAIL
RUSSIA-LD INDIA
Russia to help India develop nuclear submarine: Pranab
VINAY SHUKLA, MOSCOW, NOV 16 (PTI)
Russia has agreed to help India in developing indigenous nuclear-powered submarine and aircraft carriers, while India is ready for joint development of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee here today.
The issue of vessels were discussed and Russia has agreed to provide all possible help and the advanced technology available with it, Mukherjee said after talks with his his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov.
“For some components joint ventures and joint production would be set up,” he told PTI when asked if Russian cooperation in the development of Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) and Air Defence Ship (ADS) projects was discussed with Russian Defence Minister.
ATV is an indigenous project for the development of nuclear submarine and ADS project is for the development of aircraft carriers.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Mukherjee said India will take part in the development and financing of a fifth generation super fighter aircraft project with Russia.
“We exchanged views. Active contacts are going on with Russian side. Our air force is in contact with their Russian counterpart, HAL and Sukhoi Corporation are talking on manufacturing aspects.
“We are keen on taking part in the development and financing of the fifth generation fighter,” Mukherjee said.
He also announced that Russia’s Defence Ministry has agreed to provide access to the Russian GLONASS global navigational satellite system for military application to India, an alternative to Pentagon-controlled US Global Positioning System (GPS).
The two ministers earlier signed the protocol of the fifth session of Indo-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) as its co-chairmen.
Mukherjee also announced that the vexed issue of IPR has been resolved and the agreement will be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Moscow visit next month.
Ivanov said the signing of IPR agreement will open new vistas for cooperation in most sensitive futuristic technologies.
He underscored that India is the “sole” country in the world with which Moscow has a long-term defence cooperation programme and has opened its whole military industrial complex for the Indian defence complex.
“This is because of highest level trust and shared national security interests in Eurasia and the whole world,” Ivanov pointed out, mentioning India as an emerging economic and military power on the global scale, friendly to Russia and the largest democracy.
Later, the Defence Minister was welcomed in the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who noted “high level of trust” in bilateral defence cooperation and reiterated Moscow’s readiness to further expand military ties with New Delhi.
“It is very significant that interaction between our defence departments are developing in the best way and military-technical cooperation is developing most intensively in the high level of trust,” Putin said.
He underscored that political ties between the two countries have acquired “unprecedentdly” high level.
Putin lauded the recent Indo-Russian anti-terror wargames Indra-2005 in India in October involving paratroopers and naval ships of the two nations.
More such drills are being planned in the future, he said
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