Russia at Aero India 2011 Airshow
The 8th International Exhibition on Aerospace, Defence and Civil Aviation Aero India 2011, which is one of the biggest among such events in Asia, is hosted at the Air Force Station Yelahanka in the suburbs of Bangaluru from 9th to 13th February 2011. The Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosoboronexport, a regular participant in the air show, is promoting more than 80 items of weapons and military equipment.
Aerospace systems have always been a centrepiece in the defence cooperation between Russia and India. It was in 1964 when the first batch of the MiG-21 aircraft was delivered to India and our countries started then their modern-era military cooperation. The mutually advantageous collaboration has been maintained for decades, and is now raised to a strategic partnership level.
Last visit to India of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev testifies to the high status of our relations. A number of important agreements were signed, including a feasibility study contract for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) development programme. That was a start of the joint programme implementation. Similar developments are also carried out by USA and China. Thanks to the cooperation with Russia, India can be justly classed now in their number.
Just as prospective is a development programme for the Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MTA) which is planned to enter service with Air Forces of both countries in future. The aircraft is intended for active operation by both military services and commercial air lifting companies.
"We are moving up to deep-rooted cooperation and joint development of advanced systems. It does require a renewed level of trust. It is one thing to sell finished items or assemblŠµ them by licence, and it is quite different to implement programmes such as the fifth generation fighter aircraft, transport aircraft MTA or BrahMos missiles. We have already started, as it is, a number of major programmes that will define future defence capabilities of our countries", - said Viktor Komardin, deputy director general of Rosoboronexport and head of delegation in India.
Russia was the first country which started transferring to India up-to-date aerospace, land and maritime equipment technologies. One of the most revealing examples is licence production of the Su-30MKI aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. This modification of the fighter aircraft was developed by Russian manufacturers specifically to satisfy exacting requirements of the Indian Air Force. Su-30MKI proved to be a highly effective and reliable system. It is worthy of noting that in 2009 President of India Pratibha Patil made a flight on this fighter aircraft.
0 Response to "Russia at Aero India 2011 Airshow"
Post a Comment