India, Russia Ink Key Defence Pacts

India and Russia have inked defence contracts worth $2.9 billion during the summit meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Vladimir Putin. The two key deals signed were the $1.6-billion worth 42 Su-30MKI combat aircraft that India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will produce at its facility under licence from Russia Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi Corporation and the $1.3-billion worth 71 Mi-17V5 medium lift helicopters, of which 59 will go to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the rest 12 to India's paramilitary forces involved in internal security duties.

Also, 157 Indian vendors are involved in providing 13,350 components of the aircraft while another 19,450 components are manufactured at HAL’s Nashik and Koraput Divisions.

With a delay of three years in India's bid to build its own medium lift helicopter, India had first bought 80 of the Mi-17V5 helicopters for the IAF in 2008. About half of this tranche of helicopters have been delivered till now to raise four IAF squadrons at Bhatinda in Punjab, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and Bagdogra in West Bengal.

In February 2010, India signed a follow-on deal for 59 Mi-17V5 for the IAF. This deal has now been expanded to add 12 more of the helicopters to make it a total of 71 choppers. These 12 Mi-17V5 choppers will go to the paramilitary forces.

These two contracts apart, India and Russia also signed a private commercial deal to set up a joint venture for manufacture of Mil and Kamov civilian and military helicopters.

This commercial deal was signed between India's Mohali-based Elcom Systems Private Limited and Russia's OAO Vertoleti Rassi (JSC Helicopters Russia) to set up a defence industrial base in India.

India and Russia also signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in satellite navigation through the Russian constellation of satellites, Glonass. The signals from the Russian satellite will be used to navigate a variety of missiles, including nuclear ones. Glonass is an alternative to the US-controlled Global Positioning System (GPS).

"India and Russia share the objective of a stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan, free from extremism.

A joint statement issued later said both sides emphasised that the traditionally close cooperation between the two countries in the defence and military-technical field was a major pillar of the India-Russia strategic partnership and a reflection of the trust and confidence that has built up between the two countries.

The two sides welcomed the outcomes of the Twelfth Meeting of the India - Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation held on October 10, 2012 in New Delhi.

They expressed satisfaction at the regular bilateral interactions, ongoing military-technical cooperation and 'INDRA' exercise between the defence forces of the two countries held in August 2012 and in December 2012.

The two sides also noted that the frigates INS Teg and INS Tarkash were commissioned and delivered by Russia to India in 2012. They also took note of the progress made in the joint development and production of high technology military equipment and projects such as Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft, Multi-Role Transport Aircraft and BrahMos Supersonic Missile.

Both sides discussed measures required to ensure expeditious delivery of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya to India. The Russian side assured that requisite measures would be taken in this regard.

India, US to Exercise Submarine Rescue Operations

Ill-equipped to carry out a submarine rescue operations in case of an underwater accident, India will join hands with the US to learn the tricks of the trade by holding a joint exercise on the specialist job later this month.

India already has a tie-up with the US for help and equipment to rescue submariners stuck inside a vessel in case there is an underwater accident in any of its 14 diesel-electric submarines currently in service.

According to sources, the US will bring a submarine rescue system, which is a Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) or a Submarine Rescue Chamber (SRC), for the exercise to train the Indian Navy personnel in rescue acts.

Description: Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles perform rescue operations on submerged, disabled submarines of the U.S. Navy or foreign navies.

Features: DSRV s are designed for quick deployment in the event of a submarine accident. DSRV s are transportable by truck, aircraft, ship, or by specially configured attack submarine. At the accident site, the DSRV works with either a mother ship or mother submarine. The DSRV dives, conducts a sonar search, and attaches to the disabled submarine s hatch. DSRV s can embark up to 24 personnel for transfer to the mother vessel.

Background: DSRV s were developed as a result of the USS Thresher submarine accident in 1963, when all hands were lost. At the time, submarine operating depths greatly exceeded the capabilities of rescue vessels. The Deep Submergence Systems Project contracted with Lockheed Missiles and Space, Co. to produce a deep diving rescue submarine, the first of which was launched in 1970.

The US will fly the submarine rescue system to Mumbai and then it would be shipped to the exercise location, where it will be used for a dive deep under water to mate with the disabled submarine to rescue sailors. This is a specialist operation that is rarely practiced by Indian Navy sailors.

DSRV is like a mini submarine equipped with pressurised chambers, sonars and cameras, and it can rescue 24 sailors at a time from a depth 600 metres.

The DSRV links up with the mishap-hit vessel's hatch and the sailors stuck in the ill-fated submarine could get into the DSRV, which will then delink from the submarine and bring the rescued sailors to the surface.

At present, Indian Navy sailors use 'submarine escape pressurized suits' or take the help of diving support ships like INS Nireekshak. But these could be used only for relatively shallow waters.

The Indian Navy is also in the process of procuring two DSRVs of its own at an estimated cost of $200 million or Rs.1,000 crore. But that process is delayed by nearly a decade now.

As an interim measure, India signed the agreement with the US Navy in 1997 for its 'global submarine rescue fly-away kit' service, paying an initial amount of $734,443.

But, after the Indian nuclear tests at Pokhran in 1998, the India-US agreement was scuttled due to international sanctions.

The contract was revived only in 2004, but the six-year interim has led to delays in putting in place the necessary infrastructure for India to avail the US submarine rescue service, including the fitting of 'Padeyes' that are holding devices welded on to the Indian submarine's escape hatches to secure the DSRV.

The Indo-US deal envisages the Americans to provide the rescue service within 72 hours of an emergency notification.

India currently has a fleet of ageing 10 Russian 'Kilo' class and four German HDW submarines, apart from the newly acquired nuclear-powered INS Chakra leased from Russia earlier this year.

It is also building six French Scorpene 'killer' submarines at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks Limited under Project-75 estimated to cost Rs.23,562 crore ($4.6 billion) that are scheduled for delivery from 2015-2020.

It also hopes to own an indigenous nuclear submarine from 2013, named INS Arihant, followed by two more nuclear-powered vessels later in the decade