A military deal was signed on the 12^th November between India and Russia, under which terms the two nations will cooperate on the construction of a new transport aircraft capable of a number of missions. The agreement was forged by Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, and his Indian equivalent, Manmohan Singh, who was on an official visit to Moscow. A linked agreement was also made between the pair in respect of India’s debt to Russia. With a value thought to be in the region of $1 billion, this debt will be factored into the collaborative military transport project.

Following the talks, President Putin spoke to the press, confirming that: "Our meeting has one again confirmed our mutual desire for the development of long-term cooperation."

He added: “(The deal) "opens new horizons for scientific and industrial cooperation in a very sensitive sphere."

India and China Buy the Majority of Russian Military Equipment

India is among the most prolific acquirers of Russian military hardware. Its Air Force boasts a mixture of combat aircraft, including Russian built Mig 29s and Sukhoi Su30s. Along with China, India is involved with the majority of the $6 billion worth of arms sales Russia makes each year.

The Russian Kommersant publication, reproducing information provided by an executive within the aviation industry, reported that the Indian money owed to Russia would be redirected into the MTA/Ilyushin-214 military transporter. It added that such a venture had been planned for five years, but an offical alliance between India and Russia had been put off until now.

The two nations have been closely allied since the days of the former Soviet Union. Away from the transport aircraft agreement, President Putin and Prime Minister Singh also focused on nuclear issues. In further comments made to the gathered media, Mr Putin stated: "We paid special attention to cooperation in the sphere of nuclear cooperation, to the sphere of military-technical cooperation."

According to Mr Singh, cooperation on military ventures stood as one of the “pillars of strategic partnership.”

Source – Armed Forces International’s Asian Correspondent

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