India and Russia have once again come to strength up their relation in the defense arena by accelerating FGFA deals, which is at its climax and is expected to be sealed by the end of the year. Both the nations have been in defense ties from several decades, with deals and pacts signed in other social and economic ties also. As reported by the sources, India has committed $4 billion for tailor made version of the aircraft. The need of fifth generation aircraft has been felt by India, after the diverse efforts by developed nations to use stealth technology.The FGFA deal will be a dream project for India. The following sub points explain related topics.
FGFA
FGFA is a fifth generation aircraft that will be manufactured under the joint venture of India and Russia. It will be made over the prototype of the PAK FA of Russia and will serve in the Indian Air Force. The aircraft is the top interest of India and a step to bring the top notch technology in the Indian Air Force. Some basic features and specifications of FGFA are
- It has a crew space of 2 pilots.
- Maximum speed – Mach 2 +
- Ceiling of 65,000 ft.
- The aircraft has a maximum G-load of 9G
- The finally manufactured aircraft will have Super cruise, Stealth, networking and combat avionics features in it.
Past Deals between India and Russia
It is not the only defense deal between India and Russia. Several past deals have been signed by both the nations that have been fruitful to India. The ambitious Brahmos and Sukhoi deals have framed the base of strong Armed Forces. While some of the future deals were also believed to be signed in a few years that will bolster the relations. The top deals in defense field are
- Sukhoi
- INS Vikramaditya
- Brahmos
- INS Chakra
- S-400 (under negotiations)
How It Will Affect India
Currently Indian Air Force is going through a dearth of 9 squadrons. The necessary squadrons are 42, while IAF possess just 33 squadrons. The introduction of MMRCA Rafale is a positive sign for the IAF, but fifth generation aircraft with more capabilities are required to meet the warfare tactics of the modern era. India’s AMCA is also a distant by a long dream and our close neighbor,China, is expanding its armed forces technically, which is a point of concern for India.
Why in news?
Both the nations are seen dedicated toward signing the deal of FGFA by the end of the year. Russian authorities have commented on the progress of the deal and defense sources revealed that now India has to pay $7 billion instead of $6 billion for aircraft’s know how and 3 prototypes of the aircraft. The aircraft will be based on the latest technology of Russia and will be built by both India and Russia.
Conclusion – There were certain changes and delays in the project, but it is expected to come to the finalization soon. The deal will be a new bead in the relations between the two strong economies in the field of defense. Both the nations had military exercise with each other (INDRA) and technical deals had a long history. The old MIG series aircraft in the Indian Air Force have Russian roots. The FGFA deal will further initiate a new regime of highly capable aircraft in India and will be a sign of strength of India.
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