...

Russia, India sign advanced fighter jet agreement

Other News Materials 18 October 2007 14:31 (UTC +04:00)

( RIA Novosti ) - Russia and India have closed a deal to jointly develop a fifth-generation fighter plane, a spokesman for the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said on Thursday.

"We have signed an agreement on cooperation in the development and production of an advanced multi-purpose fighter aircraft," the spokesman said. "This document will allow our countries to implement a project that envisions equal-share financing and engineering efforts in the creation of a fifth-generation fighter."

A two-day session of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission for military-technical cooperation, led by both countries' defense ministers, began in Moscow on Wednesday.

The two countries also signed an agreement on joint production of spare parts for Su-30 Flanker fighters.

Last week, Moscow and New Delhi signed a $1.6 billion contract for the supply of 40 Russian Su-30 fighter assembly sets to India by 2010 as a compliment to the contract on licensed production of 140 Su-30MKIs in India, which was signed in December 2000.

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who attended the signing ceremony on Thursday together with his Indian counterpart, A. K. Antony, praised the current level of bilateral military-technical cooperation.

"Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation is strategic in nature and has been developing dynamically and steadily," the Russian minister said, adding that other cooperation projects included licensed production of T-90S tanks, Brahmos missiles, and frigates.

Latest

Latest