Posted on 10/08/2010 9:43:53 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
India is planning to buy up to 300 co-produced fifth-generation fighters and 45 utility transports from Russia, the Indian defense minister said on Thursday.
"Over the next decade, Russian-Indian military cooperation will focus on two projects: a utility transport and a fifth-generation fighter," said Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who is on a two-day visit to India.
The jointly-produced fifth generation fighter will not be a copy of the existing Sukhoi T-50 prototype ordered for the Russian Air Force, but will be a separate creation, a high-profile source in the Russian delegation in New Delhi said.
The countries are planning to unveil a one-seater and a two-seater version of the fighter by 2015-2016.
The costs are planned to be shared by the two states fifty-fifty.
The Times of India earlier said India may invest over $25 billion on buying fifth-generation fighters for its Air Force.
(Excerpt) Read more at en.rian.ru ...
India sides with Russia while we continue to make love to the Pakistanis......
The Indo–Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation was a treaty signed between India and the Soviet Union in August 1971 that specified mutual strategic cooperation. If only we can convice the Indians to break the treaty.
The treaty with Russia is preventing American defense products from entering India.
Those are two separate things in a purely legal sense.
Existing Indian ties with Russia hasn’t stopped the sale of the P-8, C-130 and C-17 and US tenders in scores of other projects. Neither has Pakistan’s ties with China stopped the sale of F-16s and AMRAAMs.
The treaty is a relic of the Cold War when the US decided to back and aid Pakistan militarily, which continues to this day.
Otherwise, I recall reading that Israel is India’s biggest military partner.
Glad India is on our side (I hope so!)...
Watch BHO ready a very controversial arms deal with Pakistan and ram it through.
There’s quite the spot of fog as to whether the Indian 5th Gen will be: a) the production version of the T-50 (with a mix of single and two-seater versions), b) a variant of the production version of the T-50, or c) a totally new aircraft. This particular article states it is (c), but i’ve seen other articles claiming (a) and (b) as well. I would presume the vest option would be (a).
My guess is that there is a lot of haggling going on with the Russians, which is why no agreement has been announced. The planned Medium Combat Aircraft (or AMCA as it’s called now) is supposed to be a new venture, but I doubt it.
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