In April, the main news regarding the export of Russian arms and military equipment was related to India. One of the most discussed topics was Delhi's possible refusal to participate in a joint program with Moscow to create a fifth-generation fighter FGFA. In addition, Indian delegations visited various Russian enterprises of the military-industrial complex in April. In particular, India is considering the possibility of purchasing MiG-29 fighters, the possibility of serial production of the AK-103 assault rifle, a contract is also expected to be signed for the construction of 4 frigates of Project 11356. The contract for the supply of ships has a long history, it was expected that it will be signed in 2016-2017. …
In April, once again, information appeared in the press about India's withdrawal from the joint program with Russia to create a fifth-generation fighter FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft). The authoritative edition "Jane" writes about it. This magazine published an article "India withdraws from FGFA project, leaving Russia to go it alone", which says that India has decided to suspend its participation in the already 11-year history of the joint Russian-Indian program to create a promising fighter fifth generation based on the Russian PAK FA project (T-50, now - Su-57). The reasons for the emergence of "insurmountable differences" between the countries are called the cost and technical solutions of the program.
The article, citing senior Indian officials, said that Indian officials, including Defense Secretary Sanjayte Mitra and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, recently announced India's withdrawal from the program. The announcement was made to representatives of the Russian ministerial-level delegation during their visit to India. At the same time, it is believed (without disclosing details) that Delhi may still "reconsider" its decision to implement the FGFA program or consider buying fully developed and ready-made PAK FA fighters after they enter service with the Russian Air Force.
According to Indian industry representatives, the FGFA program and its implementation were not discussed during the visit of Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sithmaran to Moscow in early April 2018. At the same time, according to retired Indian Air Marshal VK Bhatia, further implementation of this program would not benefit the Indian Air Force, which is struggling to resist the rapid reduction in the number of available fighters.
Su-57, one of the prototypes
Jane's Defense Weekly notes that the Indian Air Force considers the fifth generation Su-57 fighter, which the Indian Ministry of Defense has identified as a promising multifunctional fighter, does not meet their requirements for avionics, stealth, radar and installed sensors. Prototypes of the new fifth generation fighter are currently undergoing flight tests in Russia, but so far there is no indication as to when the new combat aircraft will enter serial production.
It is worth noting that the FGFA program itself began in 2011, when India and the Russian company Sukhoi agreed on the terms of equal financial and partial technical partnership. This program has experienced problems from the very beginning. Funding and technical aspects of the program have long been a subject of controversy and has not been resolved in any way. At the same time, it is known that the Sukhoi company undertook to supply India by 2019-2020 with three 30-ton single-seat prototypes of the FGFA fighter jet for testing before creating a production line for the serial production of these aircraft at the HAL enterprise in Nasik in the western part of India. … Initially, the Indian Air Force expected to acquire 200-250 single and two-seat FGFA fighters, but later their number was reduced to 127 single-seat aircraft. Now the implementation of the entire program is in question.
Possible Indian contracts
Production of AK-103 assault rifle may be launched in India
A rather long Indian history with numerous tenders for a new automatic rifle to replace the not very successful 5, 56-mm INSAS automatic rifle, apparently, is coming to an end. According to Jane, the Indian Ministry of Defense is ready to launch licensed production of the modernized AK-103 assault rifle chambered for 7.62x51 mm in the country (most likely, in the article "Indian MoD plans to license-build upgraded AK-103 assault rifles" is about the standard Soviet / Russian cartridge 7, 62x39 mm).
The assembly of the AK-103 in India should cover the needs of the Indian army to replace 768,000 automatic rifles. The needs of the Indian Air Force and Navy are estimated at about 50 thousand more rifles. Presumably, the Indian Ministry of Defense will resort to direct import of 150 thousand automatic rifles to cover priority needs, re-equipping the front-line units of the first line, and the production of the remaining AK-103 will be deployed in India itself under license.
AK-103
The offer to buy Russian AK-103 assault rifles, approved by the Indian Army, was the result of detailed negotiations between senior Russian officials and Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her trip to the Russian capital in early April 2018. This proposal is part of the ongoing Indian Make in India initiative. It is known that Moscow offered the AK-103 assault rifles to India in 2017, but then the proposal was not accepted, but now the Indian military has revised the requirements for weapons to replace the INSAS automatic rifle.
Russian AK-103s will replace the national rifle INSAS of 5, 56x45 mm caliber in the Indian army, which began to enter service in the mid-1990s, but in 2010 ceased to meet the requirements of the Indian military, which recognized the weapon as "operatively inadequate" to modern realities. The Indian Defense Ministry expects to assemble Russian AK-103 assault rifles at two special factories to be built by Kalashnikov in cooperation with OFB at its Rifle Factory Ishapore production facilities in Ishapur in eastern India and Tiruchirapalli in southern India.
In the second half of April, a delegation from the Indian Ministry of Defense, headed by the general director of the procurement department, Mr. Apurva Chandra, visited Izhevsk, where they got acquainted with the production site of the Kalashnikov concern, the official website of Rostec reported on 25 April. In the capital of Udmurtia, representatives of India got acquainted with the modern organization of production of the famous Kalashnikov assault rifles of various series, and also had the opportunity to test various modifications of weapons manufactured in Izhevsk.
According to Alexander Mikheev, who holds the post of general director of Rosoboronexport, the Kalashnikov concern is ready to assist the Indian side in building a plant in India for the production of the presented weapons and subsequent modifications of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. As a partner, Rosoboronexport is ready to cooperate with any Indian enterprises, both public and private, at the choice of the Indian Ministry of Defense, added Mikheev.
India may purchase MiG-29 fighters
According to the Indian network resources, in particular timesnownews.com, India is seriously considering the proposal of the Russian side to supply the Indian Air Force with 21 MiG-29 fighters. The offer was made on April 2, 2018 in Moscow during a visit to the Russian capital by Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sithamaran. The high-ranking Indian military is ready to consider this proposal, since the Indian Air Force faces an acute problem of reducing the number of its fighter fleet.
Currently, the Indian Air Force has a need for 40 fighter squadrons, in fact there are 32 of them. At the same time, their number will decrease to 27 by 2027, and in the 2030s it may be further reduced, even despite the purchase of 36 French Dassault Rafale fighters. At present, Indian fighter aircraft is represented by 12 Su-30MKI squadrons, three MiG-29 squadrons, two MiG-27 squadrons, 11 morally and physically obsolete MiG-21 squadrons, three Mirage 2000 squadrons and six Jaguars. At the same time, it is expected that by the end of 2022, out of 11 squadrons armed with MiG-21 fighters, only one will remain in service.
It is worth noting that at one time India became the first foreign export recipient of the MiG-29 multipurpose fighter. In favor of the fact that India can really consider the option of acquiring 21 MiG-29 fighters from Russia, experts say the low cost of these aircraft, which is important for New Delhi, as well as the fact that Indian fighter pilots are very familiar with this aircraft. MiG-29s are in service with the Indian Air Force, the fighters are well studied, the country has no problems with their maintenance and operation.
Preparing to sign a contract for the construction of four frigates of Project 11356
General Director for Procurement of the Indian Ministry of Defense Apurva Chandra visited the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad in mid-April accompanied by representatives of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) and Rosoboronexport. At the enterprise, the guest got acquainted with the possibilities of building frigates of project 11356, six of which are already in service with the Indian fleet (three frigates were built by the Yantar plant). “Of course, the key Indian-Russian project that was discussed in Kaliningrad was the proposal to build four Project 11356 frigates for the Indian Navy. We were pleased to inspect the production halls and finished hulls of future frigates,” Apurva Chandra quotes the Rosoboronexport press service.
Earlier, high-ranking Indian officials responsible for the purchase of weapons and military equipment also visited the Russian Helicopters center near Moscow, where they examined the Ka-226T helicopter. Ultimately, Chandra inspected all Russian companies whose product contracts (Project 11356 frigates, Mi-17 and Ka-226T helicopters, S-400 air defense systems) were expected to be signed back in 2016-2017, the Vedomosti newspaper writes. The press service of Rosoboronexport noted that the rich program of Apurva Chandra's visit to Russia speaks of India's high interest in the progressive development of Russian-Indian projects in the military-technical sphere.
Frigate of the Indian Navy F40 "Talwar" project 11356
According to the manager of the USC enterprise, the contract for the construction of four Project 11356 frigates is likely to be signed in the first half of 2018. At the same time, India itself will be able to choose its own shipyard, where two of the four ordered frigates will be built, after which obstacles to the conclusion of an agreement between the countries are no longer foreseen, said the source of Vedomosti. It is less likely that a large contract for S-400 air defense systems will be signed between the countries as early as 2018, although this agreement (like the contract for Mi-17 multipurpose helicopters) will not require the fulfillment of Make in India's conditions for the transfer of technology and production to India. says a source close to the leadership of the Military-Industrial Commission.
The reason for the delays in Russian-Indian contracts in the military sphere is the paralysis of internal procurement procedures in India, as well as distance from purchases of weapons from Russia against the backdrop of hopes for cooperation with the United States, believes Konstantin Makienko, an expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. American sanctions can also become a reason for postponing decisions on contracts, the expert admits. At the same time, the conclusion of a contract for the construction of four frigates is indeed possible, since the Indian Navy is in dire need of such ships, said Konstantin Makienko.
Russian Helicopters sold three Ka-32A11BC multipurpose helicopters to Turkey
Russian Helicopters holding within the framework of the international air show Eurasia Airshow, which took place in Antalya from April 25 to April 29, 2018, signed an agreement with the Turkish company Kaan Air for the supply of three Ka-32A11BC multipurpose helicopters to the country. According to the signed agreement, the delivery of helicopters will be carried out already in 2018, according to a press release from the Rostec state corporation. It is planned that the helicopters will be used in Turkey for firefighting operations.
“The signed agreement opens up a new market segment for the Russian Helicopters holding, for the company it will be the first delivery of civilian helicopters to Turkey. Russian Helicopters CEO Andrei Boginsky believes that this delivery will not be the last. The Ka-32A11BC multipurpose helicopters, created on the basis of the Ka-27PS coaxial search and rescue helicopter, have proven themselves to be excellent in fighting fires around the world. Andrei Boginsky believes that they will help Turkey, in turn, the holding will help ensure the successful operation of the helicopter in this country. He also stressed that 19 Russian helicopters of the Mi-17 family are currently in operation in Turkey, all of them are in service with the Turkish gendarmerie.
Delivery of S-400 complexes to Turkey will be accelerated
In early April, the secretariat of the defense industry of Turkey announced that the delivery of modern Russian anti-aircraft missile systems S-400 Triumph will begin in the country in July 2019, although the transfer of the air defense system was originally scheduled for March 2020. Sources of "Kommersant" say that this decision is an unprecedented concession to Russia, the decision on it was made during negotiations between the presidents of the two countries. For the manufacturer of these air defense systems, the Almaz-Antey concern, the new terms for the implementation of the Russian-Turkish agreement should not be a problem, since in 2018 the Russian Ministry of Defense will already receive most of the previously ordered S-400 Triumph air defense systems.
As the newspaper "Kommersant" notes, citing its sources close to the military-technical cooperation system, the issue of accelerating the supply of air defense systems to Turkey was one of the main issues in the entire negotiating agenda of Putin and Erdogan. Speaking at a press conference following these talks with the Turkish President, Vladimir Putin confirmed that the timing of the delivery of weapons will be accelerated "at the request of our Turkish partners and friends." In his speech, the Russian president did not name the scale of the acceleration of the contract, however, the deputy head of the secretariat of the defense industry of Turkey, Ismail Demir, noted that the arrival of the first batch of S-400 is scheduled for July 2019. At the same time, the Federal MTC Service refrained from official comments on this score, and Alexander Mikheev, head of Rosoboronexport, noted that Russia will do everything necessary to fulfill Turkey's request.
A contract for the supply of four divisions of the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system to the Turkish armed forces worth about $ 2.5 billion was signed in July 2017. To implement this contract, a credit scheme will be used: Ankara will pay approximately 45 percent of the contract value on its own, the remaining 55 percent will be covered by borrowed funds that the Russian Ministry of Finance will allocate to Turkey. According to Kommersant journalists, Ankara plans to close this loan within four years, repaying 15 percent of the loan amount annually. In the initial version of the contract, it was indicated that deliveries of the S-400 complexes to Turkey should begin no later than March 22, 2020. Now, most likely, an additional agreement will be signed to the contract, which will adjust the delivery time. According to a senior military source of Kommersant, such a concession "is to some extent unprecedented."
Laos is interested in modernized T-72 tanks
According to the Vietnamese information resource baodatviet.vn, at the end of 2017, the LAO PSTV TV channel, owned by the Ministry of Defense of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), showed modern self-propelled howitzers CS / SH1 of Chinese production that had entered service with the Lao army. They are 122-mm artillery mounts mounted on a 6x6 off-road vehicle chassis. ACS are an export version of PCL09, which has been produced by the Chinese corporation China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) for the needs of the PLA since 2010. It is known that Laos became the first foreign customer of the Chinese CS / SH1 self-propelled guns.
T-72B "White Eagle"
It is also reported that in early April 2018, the Minister of Defense of Laos, Tiansamon Tiannalat, was on a visit to Russia. Among other things, he visited the 61st Armored Repair Plant JSC located in Strelna (St. Petersburg). At the plant, the high-ranking guest was shown a sample of the modernized T-72B main battle tank (known as the "White Eagle"). Previously, such tanks have already been delivered to Nicaragua. Currently, Laos is showing interest in this modernization of the T-72B tank. The acquisition of new equipment fits into the program of the ongoing modernization of the armed forces of Laos.
