After a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin, India and Russia announced three major deals.
These include two Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGA) for five S-400 Triumf air defence systems and four stealth frigates and a joint venture to manufacture Kamov-226T helicopters in India.
S-400 air defence system
The S-400 is considered one of the most advanced long range dmissile system in the world and can tackle all incoming airborne targets at ranges of up to 400 km.
The deal on Saturday for five systems will cost over Rs. 39,000 crore and the system be operated by the Indian Air Force.
China became the first export customer of the S-400 last year when it signed a USD 3 bn deal for six systems.
Additional Frigates
The deal signed for four improved Krivak or Talwar class stealth frigates is expected to cost upwards of USD 3 billion.
Under the agreement, two will be built in Russia and the other two in India with Russian assistance.
India had procured six frigates of the same class in two different batches and has been very pleased with the performance of the 4,000 tonne frigate, which pack a lot of firepower in comparison to their size.
Helicopters
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed for a Joint Venture to be set up by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Rostec State Corporation of Russia to manufacture Kamov-226T utility helicopters in India in a deal worth over USD one billion.
Under the agreement, at least 200 helicopters would be produced to replace the aging and obsolete Cheetah and Chetak fleets of the armed forces.
The Kamov helicopters are capable of operating at heights of 20,000 feet and once inducted will take over the role of maintaining the forward posts on the Siachen glacier.
Keywords: India-Russia bilateral meeting, BRICS summit, S-400 air defence system
