India to end arms collaboration with Russia
Delhi has accused Russia of failing to comply with its defense contract deadlines, The Times of India reports.
India has deliberately diversified its weapons imports due to Russia’s tendency not to stick to delivery deadlines and to raise the budget in the middle of the process, the newspaper claims.
Indian officials also accuse Russia of preventing the transfer of technology and of having an “unreliable” supply of spare parts.
It is likely that the country will withdraw from the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program, which aims to create the first Indian fifth generation fighter based on the Su-57, Lenta.ru reports.
Nevertheless, India still needs to collaborate with Moscow, especially in tactical projects such as the production of nuclear submarines. The recent US sanctions on Russia’s defense industry may still adversely affect the servicing of various types of weapons which the Indians first purchased from the USSR, and then from the Russian Federation.