Russia cannot deliver the promised weapons to India because of the problems caused by the war against Ukraine.
This was stated by the Indian Air Force Command in the report of the State Defense Committee.
“Military” writes about the statement of the representative of the Indian aviation, which he delivered to the parliamentary committee: because of the war in Ukraine, “large deliveries of weapons from Russia” will not take place.
The statement, published in a report by the Indian lower house of parliament on Tuesday, was the first official confirmation from Indian authorities amid rumors and reports in local media about gaps in Russian capability.
They informed us in writing that they could not deliver the order, the report states.
The details of the problematic contract with the Russian Federation are not reported, however, the largest current contract for the Indian Air Force is the supply of S-400 Triumph long-range air defense systems.
India ordered these air defense systems back in 2018 for $5.4 billion. Russia began deliveries of the first batch of these systems in April 2021, but India has currently received only three out of five systems.
According to a report by the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, Russia remains India’s largest arms supplier. However, from 2017 to 2022, there has been a steady decline in imports of defense products – from 62% to 45%.
The decline in imports of Russian weapons is explained by India’s new policy of diversification and import substitution of technological products.
In April 2022, India canceled the purchase of Russian Mi-17 V5 helicopters. After receiving the 32nd helicopter, cooperation between the countries under the current contract is terminated. The priority contract provided for the purchase of 80 Russian helicopters.
In addition, in May of the same year, the Indian government suspended negotiations with Russia for an indefinite period on the purchase of 10 Ka-31 early warning helicopters, which should become the basis of the aircraft fleet for the new Indian aircraft carrier Vikrant.
The suspension is due to concerns about Moscow’s ability to fulfill orders, as well as problems related to payment transfers, which are related to the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Racurs
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