Correction: A
previous version of this story misidentified Ukroboronprom's deputy director
general of strategy. The position is held by Artur Kheruvymov.
GOA, India —
Ukraine has launched an aggressive effort to manage multiple overloaded
armaments and weaponry that New Delhi acquired during the Soviet era and
which have become a liability for the Indian defense forces.
Armed with the
salutations of a government-level delegation (to negate the strains in the
relationship between the two countries since Ukraine sold T-80 U tanks to
Pakistan in the early 1990s) and with over a dozen defense
companies showcasing new programs at Defexpo, Ukraine is
attempting to embrace India and break the Russian monopoly on the
Soviet-era platforms.
Perto Fedoruk,
chief adviser to Ukraine’s largest defense industry consortium,
Ukroboronprom, said: “We are here now [in] India for the long term to manage
Soviet-era headaches, which India cannot manage alone.”
“For nearly a
decade Russia has forcefully blocked our entry," Fedoruk said. "We
have offered multiple solutions to give new life to Soviet-era weaponry [with
Indian defense forces], as we are the original equipment manufacturer.”
According to a
Ukrainian diplomat, “India cannot resolve the headaches of overloaded
Soviet-era platforms without Ukraine."
Nikolay
Gordienko, head of #Ukroboronprom naval projects, said: “India has now
permitted us to participate in defense programs independently, and we are
offering a new solution to manage and refit the Soviet-era aircraft carrier
Admiral Gorshkov [renamed as INS Vikramaditya], which is 50 percent cheaper
than the Russian offer."
The Indian Navy
is evaluating a proposal by Ukraine for overhaul and maintenance of gas
turbines used in Delhi-class warships and the carrier Admiral Gorshkov.
The
Ukroboronprom deputy director general of strategy, Artur Kheruvymov, said
India plans to organize a “joint military technical commission for providing
service support for Soviet-era weaponry."
"In
addition, the two countries are also planning to form joint ventures in India for
upgradation and overhaul and manufacture of spares for Soviet-built air defense
systems, including the Kvadrat, OSA-AKM Strela-1, Tunguska, Shilka,
portable IGLA and Strela-2 systems," Kheruvymov said.
Ukraine is doing
more than $100 million in annual defense business with India, and aims to
increase it to $500 million in the next three years, he said.
Over 700 defense
contracts related to the delivery of spares, repair and upgrade valued at
over $2 billion were signed and completed in the last 10 years.
“We have now
managed to make a breakthrough,” according to the Ukrainian diplomat, who
added: “India has now decided not to buy [the] electronic support measure
system used to detect and track stealth aircraft and Vympel R-27
medium-range air-to-air missiles from us instead of from Russia.”
Ukraine has also
offered to collaborate with India’s Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) to jointly develop multiple
rocket launcher systems with a range of 100 kilometers — similar
to Russian Grad systems.
“In addition, we
will also be developing a variety of new electronic warfare systems with DRDO
and a partnership has been sealed recently,” Fedoruk said.
Ukroboronprom is
also sealing a partnership with state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)
to indigenize Russian T-90 main battle tanks and set up a facility to
manufacture spares in India.
Ukraine has also
entered into a partnership with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics for supply of
crucial spares for Russian Sukhoi aircraft.
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