Sunday 14 December 2014

The master's strike - India makes the most out of Putin's visit

     When Indian govt sensed that 'something' is terribly wrong with Russia moving closer with its arch-rival Pakistan, the Modi govt in Delhi immediately invited President Putin to finalise as many as 20 pacts. The figures of USD 100 bn & 125 bn may look a bit inflated, but the fact is that Russia is all set to invest upto USD 35 billion in building 12 new nuke reactors (each 1000 & 1200 MW) all across India over the next 20 years. Yet another major defence deal in the offing is regarding Su-50 FGFA fighters which would cost another USD 35 billion. All these counter-measures by Indian govt (defying the western nations) is aimed at convincing Putin that he has a reliable & humble partner at his doorstep. Putin, to his part, pulled a surprise by inviting India to drill oilwells in the Arctic region where considerable amount of oil deposits (that is comparable to the proven reserves of Saudi Arabia) was discovered recently. He also promised that his nation will supply India with 100 million tonnes of oil for the next 10 years (at the rate of 10 MTPA). In a massive boost to India's defence industry, Russia also agreed to allow Indian companies to manufacture its Ka-226 light-utility helicopters. Initially 384 Ka-226 copters will be built at a cost of  USD 3 billion by the state-owned HAL in partnership with a private firm. There is also a provision to scale up the order to 600 helicopters in the future. In the future India will also manufacture spare parts for major Russian defence equipments. The roaring success of Putin's India visit has also further boosted the image of Indian PM Modi whose govt is already riding high on series of victories in recent state assembly elections.


 The Kamov-226 helicopters that are to be built by Indian defence companies

The Su-50 PAK FA 5th gen stealth fighters that India will procure at a cost of USD 35 bn

Animated image showing Su-50 FGFA alongside India's indigenous fighter aircraft HAL Tejas

Region where hyper-massive oil reserves were discovered recently
 

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