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Rezaul H Laskar in New Delhi
India will lease four nuclear-capable Tupolev 22M3 strategic bombers from Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov announced in New Delhi on Tuesday.
"We are concluding talks on the leasing of the Tu-22 bombers. We're looking forward to signing a contract for leasing four aircraft within the next month," Klebanov told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
India has been in talks with Russia for leasing the bombers, which have a range of about 6,800km and can carry 24,000 kilos of bombs or missiles, since December 1999.
Klebanov refused to comment on reports that India was in talks with Moscow to lease a nuclear-powered submarine.
In 1988, the Indian Navy had leased a Russian Charlie-class nuclear-powered submarine for three years. Besides serving as a training platform for Indian sailors, the submarine was used for developing indigenous nuclear submarine technologies.
Klebanov, who arrived in the capital on Sunday to discuss the evolving international situation in the wake of the United States-led military strikes against Afghanistan, held three meetings with Defence Minister George Fernandes to discuss the military-technical co-operation between the two sides.
Indian Navy officials told the Indo-Asian News Service that the Tu-22M3s, also capable of carrying out anti-ship and reconnaissance missions, were intended to serve as temporary replacements for the force's long-range Tu-142 and Ilyushin 38 aircraft, which are being sent to Russia for upgrades.
The Tu-22M3s will also play a crucial role in India's nuclear deterrence, which is based on a triad of land-, air- and sea-based platforms, the officials said.
Under their military-technical co-operation programme, Russia and India will attach more importance to joint research and development of defence hardware, Klebanov said. The programme is valid till 2010.
"There will be more attention to joint research and development of military and civilian aircraft and submarines and surface vessels," he said, pointing out that the testing of the PJ-10 missile in June reflected the fruition of joint efforts to develop state-of-the-art weapons systems.
"We know we can rapidly design complicated products. Now we must spread such positive examples to other areas [of defence co-operation]," he said.
India and Russia have set up a joint venture -- BrahMos -- to begin commercial marketing of the PJ-10 missile, which has a range of about 280km, within two years.
Klebanov said Russian defence experts accompanying him had discussed progress on several joint projects with their Indian counterparts.
"The second session of the Indo-Russian inter-governmental commission on military-technical cooperation will be held in Delhi next January," he said. Klebanov co-chairs the commission with Defence Minister Fernandes.
Indo-Asian News Service
EARLIER REPORTS: PJ-10 surface-to-surface missile tested Indo-Russian missile to be inducted in 2 or 3 years
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