Russia Proposed Joint Venture with India in Defence Manufacturing

Russia and Government of India on 21 September 2013 agreed on collaboration to jointly develop and manufacture civilian aircraft and helicopters for especially for emergency relief and medical purposes. Russian Government also offered to set up manufacturing facilities in the India for joint production of defence hardware.

Russia and Government of India also reached an understanding for setting up two major projects in a joint venture for producing civil choppers and aircraft.

This was decided during the 7th India Russian Forum on Trade and Investment meet between Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin and Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov in St. Petersburg.
 
Anand Sharma and Dmitry Rogozin agreed on collaboration to jointly develop and manufacture civilian aircraft and helicopters for especially for emergency relief and medical purposes. And both Russia and India stated that these two aircraft projects should not be seen only for domestic use but will also explore the possibilities of third country exports.

For production of Civilian Aircrafts

• One of the projects under collaboration for civilian aircrafts or helicopters envisages the setting up of the joint venture for manufacturing in Indian factories different modifications of light helicopters Ka-226T for medical, rescue and other purposes. The Russiangovernment also mooted a new proposal involving IL-112V.

For Setting up of manufacturing facility

• Russia also proposed to India for setting up manufacturing facilities in the country for production of defence equipment in various fields. The opportunity could also be used to make India as the export base for such defence hardware.

India and Russia have also developed a framework for tracking key priority projects at the Ministerial level.

The sectors covered under this joint understanding include automobile, industrial and road-building machinery, chemical and petrochemical industry, civil aircraft construction, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, energy, diamonds, IT, automobiles, and agro and processed foods.