Press Trust of India, New Delhi, Sep 17 2017,
19:35 IST
Eyeing a multi-billion dollar contract from the Indian
Navy for the supply of fighter aircraft, Russian military aviation firm MiG
today said it was not averse to the transfer of technology and joint
development of MiG-29 K jets with Indian companies.
MiG CEO Ilya Tarasenko said his company would submit a
detailed proposal to the Indian government shortly, detailing its readiness for
the joint development of aircraft for the Navy to deepen its already close
engagement with India.
We are considering various options for long-term and
perspective cooperation, including those within the framework of the Make in
India programme, Tarasenko told PTI in a written interview.
In January, the Indian Navy had kick-started the process
of procuring 57 multi-role combat aircraft for its carriers by issuing a
Request for Information (RFI) to leading military jet makers.
Currently, six planes are compatible for the aircraft
carrier -- Rafale (Dassault, France), F-18 Super Hornet (Boeing, US), MIG-29K
(Russia), F-35B and F-35C (Lockheed Martin, US) and Gripen (Saab, Sweden).
While F-18, Rafale and MIG-29K are twin-engine jets, the other three have a
single engine.
Tarasenko said MiG had been working with Indian defence
forces for more than 50 years, delivering planes and providing service.
He said the company was eager to further strengthen its
relationship with India.
Russia has been one of India's key suppliers of arms and
ammunition. Then Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had visited Russia in June
during which the issue of transfer of technology and joint development of
high-end military platforms and weapons systems were discussed at length.
Hard-selling MiG-29K as the best option for the Indian
Navy, Tarasenko said a fleet of the aircraft had operated from Russian aircraft
carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as part of its operations in Syria recently and
showed excellent results, including in striking ground targets.
He said the MiG-29K was part of the recent Malabar
exercise involving the navies of India, the US and Japan and it proved its
operational prowess while operating from the Indian Navys aircraft carrier INS
Vikramaditya.
Tarasenko claimed MiG-29K aircraft have serious tactical
and technical advantages compared to Boeings F/A-18.
In addition, the MiG-29K aircraft were successfully
tested in combat conditions as part of the Russian Navy's military squadron in
the Mediterranean in 2016 and have a unique experience of real combat use, he
said.
The US defence major has offered to set up a
manufacturing facility in India for the production of its F/A- 18 Super Hornet
aircraft, if the company gets contracts for their supply.
At present, the Navy operates 45 MIG-29K jets. The RFI by
the Indian Navy says the aircraft required by it should be day-and-night
capable, all-weather, multi-role, deck-based combat aircraft which can be used
for air defence, air-to-surface operations, buddy refuelling, reconnaissance
etc. from IN aircraft carriers".
The Indian side has sent an RFI to companies that produce
aircraft, which is one of the procedures preceding the official tender. MiG
corporation has received such a request, now we are preparing our proposal,
Tarasenko said.
In a major step towards defence indigenisation, the
Indian government had in May unveiled a "strategic partnership" model
under which select private firms would be engaged along with foreign entities
to build military platforms such as fighter jets, submarines and battle tanks.
Original post: deccanherald.com
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