India, Russia mulling close defence coop amid Naik's visit
India and Russia are mulling closer cooperation between their air forces, operating similar aircraft and preparing to jointly develop futuristic fifth generation fighter jet, officials said, amid the ongoing visit of Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik.
The issues of inter-services interaction, including joint air drills were high on the agenda of Naik's on Wednesday's talks with the Russian Air Chief Colonel-General Alexander Zelin, Russian defence ministry sources said.
In the course of his weeklong official Russia visit, Naik watched the demonstration flight of the prototype of PAK-FA T-50 fifth generation fighter (FGFA) developed by Sukhoi at an airbase near here on Monday.
It will be jointly developed and produced by the two countries under an inter-governmental agreement signed in October 2007.
Besides the common heavier platform, Russia has also agreed to jointly develop a lighter fifth generation fighter tailored to meet the specific requirements of the IAF.
The Indian Air Chief also watched the flight of deeply modernised MiG-29UPG of the Indian Air Force at the airfield of M.M. Gromov Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky town near here.
Under a multi-million dollar contract signed in 2008 Russia's MiG Aircraft Corporation, is deeply upgrading six of the IAF's fighter MiG-29 fleet here, while rest will be modernised in India for which the Russian aircraft maker will supply kits.
On Tuesday Naik visited the Russian Flying School in Lipetsk region, which evolves the combat guidelines for the use of latest fighters before their mass induction in the force.
On the second leg of his visit Indian Air Chief is to visit St.
Petersburg and nearby Leningrad region's training facilities and an airbase.
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