By IANS,
New Delhi : India would take up various defence issues, including the hike in the price of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, to be commissioned in the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya, as well as joint manufacturing of multi-role fighter aircraft during the visit of Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov later this month.
Serdyukov will be visiting India Sep 28-30, during which he will meet Defence Minister A.K. Antony. The two sides will also hold delegation-level talks.
Admiral Gorshkov is to be refurbished and retrofitted, and commissioned in the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya. The project, which was to be completed by 2008, has been delayed by over four years now.
“The Russian defence minister will participate in the 8th Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation to be held here,” a defence ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The main agenda during Serdyukov’s visit will be the development and production of the fifth generation fighter aircraft, a memorandum for which was signed during Antony’s Russia visit last year.
Antony visited Russia Oct 17-19 last year for the 7th Session of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation, which was co-chaired by Serdyukov. During the visit, the two countries signed an nter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the development and production of multi-role fighter aircraft.
“A memorandum regarding the co-development of the fighter aircraft is already in place. But modalities need to be discussed,” another defence official said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major told IANS in August that the fighter jets will be ready for induction in the IAF by 2017.
Besides, the issue of price escalation of Admiral Gorshkov will also figure in the talks.
The dramatic cost escalation of the aircraft carrier has threatened to cast a shadow on long-standing defence ties between India and Russia. India depends on Russia for over 70 percent of its arms exports.
The Admiral Gorshkov project hit the headlines in 2007 when it was announced that the the Russian dockyard would be unable to meet the 2008 delivery deadline. The date of completion was pushed back to 2010. The aircraft carrier is now to be handed over to the Indian Navy in 2012 after 18 months of intensive sea trials.