Posted on 06/19/2003 6:34:27 AM PDT by RussianConservative
Combined Reports /
The warship INS Talwar sitting at port in St. Petersburg during a ceremony to mark its official delivery to Indian naval officials.
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Indian navy took possession on Wednesday of the first of three Russian-built warships that boast "stealth-type" technology and should significantly increase the navy's reach.
The INS Talwar, a 4,000-metric ton Krivak Class warship, was delivered to Indian naval officials during a ceremony at the northern port of St. Petersburg. The ship has been designed to make it less visible to enemy radar than conventional destroyers, and the Indian navy uses the term "stealth" to describe it.
"I am happy for our Indian colleagues to have such a beautiful ship," said the Russian navy's commander in chief, Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov.
"I am a bit sad, though, that the Russian navy isn't yet getting such new ships," he said.
India plans to commission all three warships this year. They have been built by St. Petersburg's Baltic Shipbuilding Plant as part of a $1 billion deal.
Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes is expected to commission the second ship during a visit later this month. The third will be delivered later this year, Russian officials said.
Built to suit Indian specifications, the ship is armed with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, long- and short-range guns and equipment to detect and counter submarines.
"The frigate Talwar is the most modern Russian ship ever offered for export," said Andrei Belyaninov, general director of the Rosoboronexport arms export company.
Admiral Madhvendra Singh, chief of the Indian Naval Staff, said the Talwar "is able to hit targets much further" than any ship currently in the navy's fleet.
The three warships were to be commissioned 18 months ago. However, they were delayed after the Indian navy refused to take delivery because one of the ship's main armaments, the surface-to-air "Shtil" missile, had failed during its test flight.
The fault in the missile system has since been corrected.
India is Russia's second biggest purchaser of military hardware, including fighter jets, tanks and other equipment worth billions of dollars.
Singh said the commissioning "symbolizes and reinforces the historic ties between Russia and India."
He said that in the future India hopes to be able to build most navy ships at its own defense shipyards, but that New Delhi will still be seeking equipment from foreign countries, particularly Russia.
Belyaninov of Rosoboronexport said his agency's current order book now stands at $13.3 billion, with India and China accounting for the lion's share.
He said Rosoboronexport expects to "soon" sign a contract to sell India the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which the two sides have been negotiating for years.
Technical details have been agreed, but the two sides have failed to come to terms on the price for the warship, once considered the pride of the Soviet navy.
Defense experts say the deal, which includes more than two dozen MiG fighters and five attack helicopters, is worth about $1.5 billion. (AP, MT)
I thought the last year or so the Russian economy (and oil revenues) have been booming... if i am not mistaken Russia recently posted some huge account surpluses...
(They may be "poor" but i suspect not as poor as they were!)
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