Moscow Hopes for Deal on Igla missile as India Looks at Manufacturing Spare Parts :Atmanirbhar Bharat

Continuing the close defence partnership, Moscow is hoping that India would soon sign an agreement on the Igla S Anti-Air Missile, while New Delhi announced that it would produce spare parts of the Russian defence equipment under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission.

India has signed an inter-governmental agreement with Russia to the manufacturing of spare parts of Russian equipment supplied to India. Indian defence forces have a substantial component of Russian military hardware, some estimates bill it around 70 per cent.

Indian envoy to Russia D B Venkatesh Varma said, “Now a number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on both sides are in touch with each other and this is a big step forward.”

India’s Secretary of Defence Production, Raj Kumar had a meeting with key Russian defence bodies and Russian deputy minister for Industry and Trade, Oleg Ryazansev a few days ago on the sidelines of the Russian government’s Army-2020 Forum.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Shugaev, the director at Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Russia’s nodal body to export defence products to foreign countries, has expressed hope that India would soon sign agreement for the production and the supply of Igla S Anti-Air Missile “since we have won the tender unconditionally.”

Both sides are hoping to expedite the production of 7.62mm Kalashnikov Assault Rifle- AK203, a joint venture between the two countries. The Russians are also hopeful that contracts for six Ka 31 helicopters will be signed by end of 2020.

Spokesperson of FSMTC Maria Vorobyeva said on the sidelines of Army 2020, “We know that due to objective reasons, the Indian leadership decided to accelerate the allocation of funds for the purchase of the specified aircraft. The talks are already going on. We expect, that the contracts, including the one on six Ka-31 helicopters, are signed before the end of year 2020.”

Asked about S400 anti-aircraft missile system, the spokesperson said, “Delivery of the first regimental batch is expected by the end of 2021” to India and “further acceleration of the delivery of the first batch from the system is technically impossible, since there are objective, technology-related stages of production, acceptance and transfer of equipment.”

India had signed the contract for the deal during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit on October 5, 2018.

Source: DNA