India-Russia: News & Analysis

bahdada · Post by **bahdada** » 31 May 2010 11:47

Russia wins large contract to modernize Indian Su-30MKI fighters - media
http://en.rian.ru/world/20100530/159217594.html

India has placed orders with the Russian defense industry to modernize Su-30MKI Flanker-H fighters produced in India under the Russian license, India Today magazine reported in its June issue, without disclosing the sum of the contract.
The project codenamed Super 30 stipulates the installation of new radars, onboard computers, electronic warfare systems and BrahMos supersonic missiles on 40 Su-30MKI fighters, the magazine said.
The Indian Air Force currently operates about 100 Su-30MKI fighters and plans to produce another 170 aircraft in the next 10 years under the Russian license.

India has a long history of defense ties with Moscow. The current cooperation program comprises about 200 joint projects, including the transfer of technology for the licensed assembly of T-90 tanks in India, the production of BrahMos missiles and the purchase of Smerch MLRS by India.

The BrahMos missile has a range of 290 km (180 miles) and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg (660 lbs). It can effectively engage ground targets from an altitude as low as 10 meters (30 feet) and has a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the U.S.-made subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile.
Established in 1998, BrahMos Aerospace, a joint Indian-Russian venture, produces and markets BrahMos supersonic missiles. The sea-based and land-based versions have been successfully tested and put into service with the Indian Army and Navy.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 31 May 2010 12:23

A great diplomat Dobrynin,so too was Andrei Gromyko,who later on became Pres. of the USSR, of whom it was Kruschev I think who said, that "if I ask him to sit on a block of ice and stay still he will"! The Cold War produced some truly outstanding diplomats on both sides,east and west.Kissinger and Gromyko eagerly awaited their meetings to see who would score over whom,such was their vast knowledge and rapier like diplomatic skills.Russia has continously produced many outstanding diplomats and we will see more of them in the future including the current envoy to India ,Khadakin.

These days there are few if any names that come to mind instantly who could joust with the greats mentioned.One outstanding diplomat though is the Singaporean Kishore Madhubani,dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in S'pore,who has served on many thinktanks,etc., and author of the recent book,"The new Asian Hemisphere:The Irresistable Shift of Power to the East".As far back as 2008 he predicted the shipt of power from the west to Asia.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 25 Jun 2010 07:59

Russia Wants to Promote Suburban Lifestyle

After visiting a newly completed development of prefabricated houses on the outskirts of St. Petersburg in November, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he hoped homeownership will inspire Russians "to have more babies."

Haha - bravo! That's a pretty sophisticated approach. I wonder why the aging Japanese aren't trying to create suburbs in whatever meager landspace is available in their small country. With their notoriously cramped apartments, is it any wonder that their birthrate is poor?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 25 Jun 2010 22:27

Obama invites Medvedev to his favorite fast-food restaurant

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Jun 2010 10:22

Russia's Medvedev says worried with U.S. intelligence data on Iran

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he is worried with U.S. secret intelligence data that Iran has enough enriched uranium for construction of two nuclear bombs.

"As for this information, it needs to be verified but in any case such information always worries. Today the international society does not acknowledge the Iranian nuclear program as transparent. If the information from the American secret services is confirmed it would make the situation more tense and I do not exclude that this issue would require extra consideration," Medvedev said at a news conference after the G8 and G20 summits in Canada.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 29 Jun 2010 15:28

But I'm sure they continue to be more furious with India for that vote against them at the IAEA since I don't remember when. And let's see, now that their close friend France has to oblige by not exporting gasoline via Total, how they feel about France. Will they be more pissed off than they were with India, or less?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Jun 2010 22:35

Russia rejects US allegations of spying as baseless

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 29 Jun 2010 22:43

JE Menon wrote:But I'm sure they continue to be more furious with India for that vote against them at the IAEA since I don't remember when. And let's see, now that their close friend France has to oblige by not exporting gasoline via Total, how they feel about France. Will they be more pissed off than they were with India, or less?

No matter what others do Iran will be more pissed off with India than all other players combined.

This is because India is the only soft state Iran can beat every time it gets frustrated with cashmere, shias, afghanistan, pakistan and what not...

abhischekcc · Post by **abhischekcc** » 30 Jun 2010 15:26

Russia needs oil prices to remain high for its budgetary benefit. The Iranian crisis helps Russia in that regard.

Igorr · Post by **Igorr** » 07 Jul 2010 23:15

There are complains in US that Russia outnumbers them by as much as 10 to 1 in 'tactical nuclear weapon'. It's interesting after all, how many of this is directed against actual and potential US allies including continental China. Any idea?

karthik · Post by **karthik** » 08 Jul 2010 15:18

Any news on these Russians arrested in Jaipur, where they real spies and why is Moscow so jittery over the issue?

lsunil · Post by **lsunil** » 08 Jul 2010 19:49

If she was a spy then b raman would have definitely talked about her.

Did a usual google search about her name and found this.

XXXXX wrote:Please beware Olga Tomoshik is on Indiamike too under the name Yamuna, Kira

View Profile : Yamuna

View Profile : Kira

She was arrested on 23rd

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 08 Jul 2010 20:21

lsunil wrote:If she was a spy then b raman would have definitely talked about her.

When/where did B. Raman mentioned about her(or individual like her). Also why would Russians be interested in Bhakra Nangal Dam ?

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 09 Jul 2010 01:35

>>This is because India is the only soft state Iran can beat every time it gets frustrated with cashmere, shias, afghanistan, pakistan and what not...

A concrete example of this beating up please...

shukla · Post by **shukla** » 12 Jul 2010 12:15

Why Is Tajikistan's Ayni Air Base Idle?

Measured Indian foreign policy? or Russian Foul-Play??

Ayni air base in Tajikistan was supposed to become a showpiece for India. In the mid-2000s, India's military began renovating the facility, and New Delhi appeared poised in 2006 to announced that Ayni had become operational. But four years later, the base sits largely dormant - an airfield without any fighter jets. The reason that Ayni is still idle, many in Dushanbe believe, is Russia: Moscow does not want any other country to have use of the base. "They [Tajik officials] don't know what to do with this airbase. We don't need it for ourselves, but to give it to someone else would create problems with other countries," said Faridoon Khodizoda, a political analyst in Dushanbe

India has renovated runways and hangars at Ayni, but the Indian government has never publicly stated what its longer-term intentions were for the base. Reports in the Indian press suggested that India hoped to base a squadron of MiG-29 fighter jets there, in an effort to bolster its political clout in Central Asia, and to create a counterweight to Pakistani influence in Afghanistan.

Some analysts said India's foray into base politics was motivated by a desire to play the role of great power. "India is playing a game," said Imran Baig, a Washington-based analyst of South Asian security. "To maintain a base with no aircraft is not expensive at all," he said. "But to deploy a high-tech fighter squadron full time at a remote location far from the country of origin is a very, very costly affair and can only be afforded by superpowers."

Russia's defense minister, Anatoly Serdyukov, said last year that Tajikistan and Russia would jointly use the base, but Tajikistan has never confirmed that. Russia, which already maintains a large military base for its 201st Division at Dushanbe, does not appear interested in actually using Ayni, but merely in keeping other countries from using it, said Zafar Sufiyev, editor in chief of the newspaper Ozodagon.

There has been speculation that the United States., facing continuing uncertainty over the use of the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, might be interested in Ayni as a possible replacement. The Tajikistan government would allow US forces to use Ayni at the right price, said Safiyev. "If the government gets more for it than the Americans pay for Manas, they'll be interested," he said. "It's a market."

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 15 Jul 2010 07:20

Russia to Overtake US as Largest Wheat Exporter

anishns · Post by **anishns** » 15 Jul 2010 07:26

^^^^ And what bearing does this have on Indo-Russian relations???

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 15 Jul 2010 08:48

Russia can be a reliable supplier for India's food import needs, of course.

Food costs are only going to go up, as the population of global consumers grows.

anishns · Post by **anishns** » 15 Jul 2010 18:16

Boss! did you atleast check what you posted?
The clip says that mostly American, Chinese and European companies are cultivating the land to grow wheat..

Infact even the eqpt. used was American in this instance. Where do you think all the wheat grown would be going in the end?

Kanan · Post by **Kanan** » 19 Jul 2010 00:59

India and Russia have always shared a great rapport! To infuse some life into the ties, we might need to have some defence agreements in a mutually beneficial way!

1) Greater co-operation and ToT agreements of PAK_FA! India might buy 200 of them, but if its a really good aircraft, we will buy more than 400, I am sure!

2) Strategic Bombers:India needs nuclear triad to realise its dreams of being a Super Power. We need to negotiate for 40-50 Tu-160 Blackjacks (optimised as per our requirements,read reduced RCS,Israeli tech.....) which is the world's heaviest military aircraft. It would be the perfect platform for India's Nirbhay cruise missile and also Shourya, if there is an air launched version of the latter. It will boost India's Nuclear Deterrence and immediately make India more important on the global scene. This will revive Russia's Bomber industry which doesn't manufacture anything now! And Tu-160s can slowly be replaced by PAK-DA!

nits · Post by **nits** » 19 Jul 2010 12:47

^^ refer to this old news article - http://www.indiadefence.com/Tu-160.htm

Not sure how far this went ahead...

neeraj · Post by **neeraj** » 19 Jul 2010 13:41

Kanan wrote: 2) Strategic Bombers:India needs nuclear triad to realise its dreams of being a Super Power. We need to negotiate for 40-50 Tu-160 Blackjacks (optimised as per our requirements,read reduced RCS,Israeli tech.....)

Su34's are a better bet - They can carry 8tons of ordnance, can defend itself, technologies developed for Su30 can be leveraged and have much lower procurement and operating cost.

Kanan · Post by **Kanan** » 20 Jul 2010 03:06

neeraj wrote:
Kanan wrote: 2) Strategic Bombers:India needs nuclear triad to realise its dreams of being a Super Power. We need to negotiate for 40-50 Tu-160 Blackjacks (optimised as per our requirements,read reduced RCS,Israeli tech.....)
Su34's are a better bet - They can carry 8tons of ordnance, can defend itself, technologies developed for Su30 can be leveraged and have much lower procurement and operating cost.

Su-34 is pretty good, the modern day equivalent of say MiG-27 or Jaguar!

But Tu-160 can carry 45 tons of ordnance and still do Mach 2! Its range without refuelling is 12000 Kms! If such an aircraft with modifications is inducted into India, our reach increases tremendously!
IMHO,It will give India-Russia relations a mighty push upwards bcoz no country would generally sell something like this!

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 20 Jul 2010 04:35

You might as well wish for America to sell 10 Space Shuttles to India

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 31 Jul 2010 02:40

Rao set for Moscow

New Delhi, July 30: Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao will be in Moscow on Sunday to canvass support from old ally Russia for a joint strategy on Afghanistan.

New Delhi and Moscow have similar concerns on the situation that will unfold in Afghanistan after the US-led international security forces withdraw from the region in 2014.

Their fear that the Pakistan Army would come to control Afghanistan has found resonance with Tehran as well. Sources said India and Russia have been trying to involve Iran in devising a joint strategy on Afghanistan.
...
...

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 31 Jul 2010 03:41

Gerard wrote:You might as well wish for America to sell 10 Space Shuttles to India

Ask for it in connection with the Gorshkov issue - they hiked the price on us due to no fault of ours. They should come up with some means of compensation, otherwise we will hold it against them. Backfire bomber is reasonable compensation.

Haven't they sold something similar to Iran?

Manishw · Post by **Manishw** » 31 Jul 2010 16:18

India And Russia: Joint Military Drills‎

http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&source ... Fm1rXwGx2w

Russia's military puts on a display of drills and tactics for important guests.

A military delegation from India visited Russia's North Ossetia region, as the two countries prepare for joint military training later this year.

The Indian visitors got a close look at Russia's armoured vehicles, and the capabilities of its troops through live fire exercises.

These two countries have partnered in war games for several years.

In response to tensions in the North Caucasus, Russia created a mountain warfare brigade and is keen to learn from India's mountain fighting expertise.

A Russian delegation travelled to observe India's mountain forces in May.

India and Russia have remained solid friends for decades, with Russia at one time supplying India with 70 percent of its arms.

While India now also buys weapons from the United States, it still holds an array of military contracts with Russia.

The upcoming Indra-2010 military drill in October is seen as further proof both countries maintain strong relations.

shukla · Post by **shukla** » 01 Aug 2010 06:40

Russia Plans 60% Increase in Defense Budget by 2013

The spending will be spread out over three years. The largest increase will occur in 2013, when the budget is expected to jump by 500 billion rubles ($16.6 billion). According to RIA Novosti

Konstantin Makiyenko from the Russian Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) told the paper that the government is likely to spend more on the Navy, as well as the aviation and space industries.

The Russian government plans to purchase two of the Mistral class amphibious assault ships/helicopter carriers from France and acquire the license to build two more of the vessels domestically. While the announcement of the Mistral class purchases is not new, they will likely continue to provoke worries in the United States and in NATO. When details of the specific purchase emerged earlier this month, the BBC explained that

The deal, which is the first of its kind between France and its Cold War enemy, has caused alarm in Nato, as there are fears it will give Russia more cutting-edge technology. In February a US official told reporters the US "had questions" for France about the order.

Russia planning to spend 80 billion rubles ($2.65 billion) on 60 Su-family fighter jets starting 2010, and buy 26 MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets, with the expected contract estimated at about 25 billion rubles (more than $828 million), a military aircraft plant manager told the paper. The plans also include the purchase of 32 Su-34 Flanker fighter bombers under the 2008 contract (a single plane then cost more than 1.1 billion rubles ($36.4 million), he said.

Information has yet to emerge as to what portion of the new defense budgets will go towards the development of Russia’s fifth generation fighter—the Sukhoi PAK FA—which had its maiden flight back in January but does not expect to be put into service until 2013 at the earliest.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 01 Aug 2010 07:30

Sanjay M wrote:Haven't they sold something similar to Iran?

No. The Blackjack is not sold to any other state.

Russia itself only has about 17 of these bombers. It can only obtain new ones every 1-2 years.

The Tu-160 is one of the strategic platforms covered by the START III treaty. Russia will not sell them.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 01 Aug 2010 09:08

^^^ Can they sell some of the critical technologies, at least?

Ah well, bombers these days seem obsolete compared to missiles and even drones.

Why was their development even continued beyond the 1960s, when missiles clearly dominated the strike forces? Just to keep something airborne all the time? Drones today could probably fulfill that role.

India doesn't have to travel half-way around the world to get to China or Pak. Plus, I guess neither China nor Pak have strategic bombers, so all we have to worry about are their land-based missiles and subs.

Does China have any plans to acquire or develop strategic bombers?

Carl_T · Post by **Carl_T** » 01 Aug 2010 09:13

If a strategic bomber comes overhead to bomb a city, I think that would mean a whole section of the AF is breached. What worries me more is if strategic bombers are modified to deploy CMs which might be nasty, however I only think that would be a threat if the SB is supersonic like the Bone or the Tu-160, and I don't see that happening yet...

Karan Dixit · Post by **Karan Dixit** » 03 Aug 2010 08:27

India and Russia will try to iron out differences over liability issues in their civil nuclear cooperation when Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao holds talks with senior Russian officials in Moscow Monday.

http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/666197

Karan Dixit · Post by **Karan Dixit** » 04 Aug 2010 08:15

Afghanistan and Pakistan dominated Indo-Russian Foreign Ministry consultations on Monday with New Delhi seeking reassurances from Moscow that the two countries were on the same page on the AfPak situation, as the United States presses ahead with the accommodation of the Taliban in the Afghan power structures.

http://hindu.com/2010/08/04/stories/201 ... 551000.htm

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 04 Aug 2010 14:08

India, Russia, Iran explore anti-Taliban strategy

With Pakistan trying to broker a deal with the Taliban and recent leaks exposing the sordid saga of Islamabad's role in Afghanistan, India, Iran and Russia are coming together on the same page in what could possibly be a replay of 2001 when they backed the Northern Alliance's campaign to oust the Taliban regime from Kabul.

'Both India and Russia are inching closer on a regional approach and have shared interests in preventing a Taliban takeover after the US troops leave,' Arun Mohanty, an expert on India-Russia relations, told IANS.

Moscow, too, has its own apprehensions about the Taliban as it fears the spillover effects on its periphery and in Central Asian republics where some Islamist networks are active. Ahead of last month's Kabul conference on Afghanistan's future, Russia had echoed India's view that 'there is no good or bad Taliban'.

Karan Dixit · Post by **Karan Dixit** » 08 Aug 2010 11:14

Russia also accused the United States of preventing international supervision of its compliance with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

The ministry also said secret information from the U.S. Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory ended up at the hands of a drug dealing gang in 2006.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?fi ... rldupdates

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Russia announced Thursday that it will ban all grain exports for the rest of the year, sending wheat prices soaring to a two-year high and raising the possibility of inflated food prices that could throw an already fitful global economy recovery off track.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... =rss_world

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 09 Aug 2010 10:31

If US-Russia relations improve, then it will make things easier for India. The US will be less hostage to Pakistan's antics if it can secure more cooperation from Russia.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 11 Aug 2010 14:46

How Putin leads from the front in a crisis,while India's PM,good doctor Singh is described as "missing" in Indian newspapers despite the multitude of crises,Ladakh floods,Chor-Wealth Games,Naxalite menace,Kashmir crisis,etc..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/au ... -wildfires

Photograph: Alexey Nikolsky/AFP/Getty Images

Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin climbed into a firefighting plane yesterday and dumped water on two of the hundreds of wildfires sweeping through western Russia and cloaking Moscow in a suffocating smog. In a carefully managed photo opportunity, he joined an airborne firefighting team dumping water on one of the two hundred fires. After taking off in a Be-200 firefighting plane, he then moved into the co-pilot's seat. Usefully placed television cameras captured the moment he pushed a button to unleash gallons of water on forest fires about 120 miles south-east of Moscow. After hitting the button, Putin glanced toward the pilot and asked, "Was that OK?" The response: "A direct hit!"

The fires that have savaged Russia in the past two weeks have caused billions of dollars in damage and left thousands homeless. Putin has called on soldiers to help overstretched firefighting brigades and has played a visible role, walking through villages effected by the fires and promising new homes.

Damage from the fires was expected to hit $15bn (£9.5bn), although the government has yet to release any damage estimates. The hottest summer since record-keeping began has cost Russia more than a third of its wheat crop and prompted the government to ban wheat exports.

Karan Dixit · Post by **Karan Dixit** » 13 Aug 2010 08:23

Ahead of the scheduled Russian-Indian naval exercises, in which the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky will take part, Tatiana Shaumyan, director of the Center for Indian Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies, discusses the state of Russian-Indian relations and the prospects for defence cooperation between the two countries. Interview by Igor Chekunov.

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_ ... s_999.html

Karan Dixit · Post by **Karan Dixit** » 13 Aug 2010 08:29

INS Sindhurakshak is being upgraded under a direct contract between the Zvezdochka shipyard and the Indian defense ministry, signed on June 4, 2010.

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100812/160176840.html

shukla · Post by **shukla** » 22 Aug 2010 18:39

X-post

Russian military aircraft sales to India exceed $ 20 billion

Russian military aircraft and helicopter sales and commitments to India since 1996 approximate US$ 20 billion, and the figure would increase as India buys more aircraft in the coming decade.

According to India Strategic defence magazine, Russia is set to win an order for 59 Mi 17 V5 helicopters in addition to the 80 already ordered. The Indian Air Force recently ordered 42 SU 30 MKI combat jets, taking the total number of this formidable fighter orders to 272, valued approximately at $ 13.6 billion. A Mi 17 averages $ five million, so their cost should be around $ 695 million.

India Strategic quotes Chief of Staff of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, as saying that the Indian Air Force was looking at futuristic technologies and that by 2017, it expected deliveries of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) from Russia, whose development India is partially funding.

India has already ordered 45 Mig 29K shipboard fighters for the Navy, acquired or ordered five Israeli Phalcon AWACS on Il 76 platforms, six Il 78 midair refuelers. Besides, the Indian Air Force is upgrading Soviet origin, and even Russian SU30 MKIs, for $ four to five billion.