India, Russia to launch fifth generation fighter jets

Vinay Shukla

Moscow, Oct 15 (PTI) India and Russia will launch the
joint fifth generation fighters by year end and have agreed to
collaborate to develop heavy lift cargo helicopters and
futuristic infantry combat vehicles.

The path for more hi-tech defence collaboration
between Moscow and New Delhi was paved with the signing of the
joint defence protocol by Indian Defence Minister AK Antony
and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov.

The protocol extends military interaction between the
two countries till 2020 and this is expected to make the path
clear for inking more major defence joint ventures during the
upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in
early December.

The protocol was signed here at the end of 9th session
of India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on
military-technical cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) after assurances
from Moscow that all pending issues like the delivery of
aircraft carrier Gorshkov and nuclear submarine Nerpa would be
resolved at the earliest.

The protocol provides for completion of formalities by
the year end to launch the joint designing, development and
production of fifth generation fighter aircraft project.

Besides the development of a state-of-the-art
multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) through a joint venture
along the lines of highly successful BrahMos JV, India and
Russia have also agreed to jointly develop a heavy lift cargo
helicopter and futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV).
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