Arun Prakash, a retired Indian Navy admiral and former service chief, is even more critical. Auditors from Delhi said that Russian fighters are not reliable enough in operation When instead of a weapon there is a dummy

Senior Indian Air Force officials say the FGFA's joint 5th-generation fighter program with Russia does not meet desired requirements. A senior Indian Air Force officer added that "the Indian Air Force is not keen to continue the FGFA program." Defense News writes about this.

The proposed FGFA program does not meet the requirements for low radar signature of the Russian-Indian aircraft compared to the American F-35 fighter, a senior Indian military official explained. In his opinion, this program requires significant structural changes that cannot be achieved with the help of existing Russian prototypes.

The FGFA program also does not have the concept of modular engine maintenance, which makes servicing the future fleet of FGFA fighters “expensive and unpleasant,” according to Indian experts cited by the American publication. Another senior Indian Air Force official explained that modular engine maintenance is required for quick and convenient maintenance of FGFA aircraft without prior warning to the manufacturer.

However, the Russians, according to the Indians, have proposed non-modular mechanisms for the FGFA and its maintenance, and a significant part of the work can only be performed at the manufacturing plant.

Rosoboronexport responded extremely categorically to the widespread American media information. “Currently, a Russian-Indian intergovernmental agreement is in force, and there are obligations in accordance with which the joint project to create an aircraft is implemented by the parties according to agreed stages and deadlines,” the company told Kommersant.

Indian expert Vaijider Thakur, a former squadron commander of the Indian Air Force and a defense specialist, claims that the FGFA analogue, known in Russia as the Su-57, is powered by an AL-41F engine.

But the FGFA fighter must be equipped with an engine called the Product 30. It is 30% lighter than the AL-41F, has much greater thrust, and better fuel efficiency. “Product 30 is a much more reliable engine and is characterized by a lower life cycle cost, by about a third,” Thakur said in a conversation with Gazeta.Ru. However, today “product 30” is not yet equipped even on Russian fighters.

Without American fighters in service, the Indian Air Force is unlikely to have an opinion on the comparative long-term operating costs of Russian and American aircraft, Thakur added.

As you know, in 2007, Russia and India signed an agreement on the joint development of the fifth-generation fighter FGFA (Fifth-Generation Fighting Aircraft). The key parameter of the agreement was the production of aircraft in India, implying the transfer of unique Russian-developed technologies. It was assumed that the launch customer for this aircraft would be air Force India, and in the future it will be supplied to third countries. Until recently, India planned to build 144 FGFA fighters. Previously, the number of required aircraft of this type was estimated at more than 210 units.

“Of course, the implementation of the FGFA program encounters certain technical difficulties. This is no secret to anyone. But this is not a matter of technical difficulties at all. Not long ago, India signed a contract worth €7.98 billion with France for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets. Each aircraft cost New Delhi €94 million. And the budget of the Indian Air Force assumes an annual allocation of only €2.5 billion for the purchase aircraft", the deputy director explained to Gazeta.Ru.

That is, according to the expert, the Rafale, and this is without any exaggeration, gobbled up the entire budget of the Indian Air Force, including the funds allocated for the creation of 5th generation fighters.

In this case, a situation may arise, the expert believes, that the Indian Air Force will be completely left without 5th generation vehicles. And they may appear much earlier in service with the Chinese Air Force and even, much to the surprise of the Indian side, with the Pakistani Air Force.

Finally, if the Indian side curtails military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation, Konstantin Makienko believes, then Moscow has every right to treat New Delhi not as a priority strategic partner in the region, but as an ordinary, ordinary partner in the military-technical cooperation sphere. And this can only mean one thing - intensifying military-technical cooperation between Russia and India’s main geopolitical rival Pakistan.

And Islamabad is quite interested in intensifying such cooperation. With high tactical technical characteristics Soviet/ Russian weapons Pakistanis became familiar with it during the Afghan war.

That is, Delhi should not be very surprised by the possible appearance of, for example, Russian Su-35 fighters in the arsenal of the Pakistani Air Force. Also, at one time, the Indian Air Force abandoned the MiG-35 in favor of the Rafale. If Pakistan buys these light front-line fighters, but now in a much more modernized version, then this fact should also be perceived in New Delhi without much amazement and shock.

India has the full sovereign right to refuse all joint projects with Moscow, says Konstantin Makienko. The Kremlin has the same sovereign right to reorient itself in military-technical cooperation issues towards Pakistan, the expert is convinced.

“In my opinion, there is no need to overdramatize the situation developing in the Russian-Indian FGFA program,” a high-ranking source in the Russian aircraft industry told Gazeta.Ru. — So far there is not even accurate information about who said what in India, where he said it, under what circumstances. Even the military rank and position of the author of the information voiced are unknown.”

According to the specialist, India is currently trying to implement military aviation a lot of programs: this is the purchase of Rafales, and a competition for a single-engine fighter, and the start of work on a light fighter of the 5th generation, and the upcoming modernization of Su-30MKI machines in order to load enterprises, as well as the modernization of Jaguars and MiG-29.

And these, the expert emphasizes, are programs only in the field of military aviation. And besides, there is also naval aviation - New Delhi will have to choose a carrier-based aircraft for its third aircraft carrier. And there the fight is already in full swing between the Rafale and the American F/A-18. In return, the United States is offering India assistance in creating a 5th generation light fighter.

The number of Indian air force and naval aviation programs is too large even for the United States. It is unlikely that all this can be realized by New Delhi. There may not be enough money for everything at once.

So, the sharp statements of the Indian Air Force on the FGFA program can be viewed as some kind of struggle of interests, believes Gazeta.Ru’s source in the aviation industry. Every detail of a military aircraft in India has its own group of lobbyists. So in this regard, another information dump is, in a sense, a normal phenomenon.

Market transport aviation India was practically lost to Russian Federation. The Indian edition of The Calcutta Telegraph reports about the first C-17 aircraft produced by the American company Boeing to arrive for the Air Force of this country. Within 10 years, US-made aircraft should completely replace the Russian Il-76. Last year, our country lost tenders for the supply of Il-78 aircraft and Mi-26 helicopters.

Until recently, India remained a reliable partner of Russia in the field of arms purchases. Indians paid billions of dollars to our country for military equipment. But in November last year, the Russian Federation lost the tender for the supply of 15 Mi-26 helicopters. They should be replaced by the American CH-47 Chinook from Boeing. Instead of purchasing six Il-78 refueling aircraft, the Indians chose to purchase an Airbus A330. total amount The damage to our country is estimated at over a billion dollars.

The loss of the Indian market could negatively affect Russia's military contracts with other countries. It is quite possible that some states may question the advisability of purchasing our equipment, even if its long-time buyer has decided to change the supplier.

According to the Indian press, the refusal Russian cars caused by their technical characteristics. Although they are cheaper than Western models, they are more expensive to maintain. As he says Doctor of Military Sciences, Army General and former Commander-in-Chief of the USSR and Russian Air Forces Pyotr Deinekin, the reliability of our equipment is beyond doubt:

— Our aviation equipment is not inferior to foreign models in terms of reliability. This applies to Il-76 and Il-78 aircraft, and Mi-26 helicopters. In any case, their after-sales service should not be more expensive than the service of American cars. Perhaps we are lagging behind in quickly eliminating defects, which are always inevitable.

But the American dreamliner also showed itself not with the best side. It hurt many of the companies that bought it. Yes, they promptly eliminate defects identified during the development of machines. But they also go a certain way before achieving the required reliability parameters.

Perhaps now the Indian side, with which we have long established a good relationship in the field of aviation technology, they did not offer the most best model. The Il-76 has a good modification with excellent economical PS-90 engines, with an extended fuselage, with modern means navigation. So economic reasons are possible.

But I have not met any more reliable cars than those produced by Ilyushin. These are the most reliable aircraft, starting with Il-14, then Il-18, then Il-76, Il-86, Il-96. It’s not for nothing that our president flies on Ilyushin’s planes.

American C-17 - also common in aviation world car. But it was not the cost of after-sales service that could have caused the Indian side to refuse to purchase our aircraft.

As for the Il-78 tanker, it showed excellent performance in operation. The first vehicles entered service in the mid-1980s, replacing the M-4. From the Il-78, our planes refueled while patrolling the shores of America. Recently, our Tu-95 strategic airships flew without landing according to the air duty plan for more than 42 hours. And the supersonic Tu-160 flew with refueling from the Il-78 for more than 22 hours. In my opinion, these are excellent indicators of the reliability of our aircraft. I consider the Tu-160 flight to Venezuela to be another confirmation of the quality of our tankers.

The Mi-26 is basically a Tsar Helicopter. He even evacuated American heavy Chinook helicopters on an external sling. When he needed evacuation after a breakdown, not a single car, not a single air crane could lift him. Only the Mi-26 coped with this task. He performs excellently when performing any task.

“SP”: — Perhaps foreign cars are more modern than ours?

— The concept of “old” does not exist for aircraft. The main criterion for an airship is its suitability for flight operation. For example, the Americans still successfully use the B-52 aircraft, which is already about 50 years old. They simply give him new navigation and other equipment. As for the S-17, it is the same age as our IL-76. The A-330, converted into a tanker, may be younger than our Il-78, but our aircraft has proven its reliability over decades of operation. This is a good tanker and transport.

So the reason for the Indians' refusal is not reliability. We took part in air shows on different continents. Our aircraft have shown high reliability, making flights over very long distances, and have proven themselves in climatic zones from our harsh winters to the hot tropics of South Africa, Malaysia and Chile. I just sympathize with the Indians who are abandoning their historical partners.

Director of the Center for Geopolitical Expertise Valery Korovin the real reason India’s refusal of our aircraft is seen as Russia’s weakness in the international arena:

— When choosing priorities for the supply of very complex machines, such as airplanes and helicopters, the system of relationships between countries and the priorities in geopolitics that a particular state chooses play a role. Over the past two decades, Russia has withdrawn from the world stage and taken a position of absolute indifference and neutrality in relation to what is happening on the planet. Even those pathetic attempts that are made in relation to hot spots have a touch of indifference. Our statesmen as if they were saying: “Yes, of course, we are against it, but, by and large, we don’t care.” Russia has no ideological development model and, as a result, no geopolitical strategy.

Russia has stopped presenting itself as a Eurasian power, as it did Soviet Union. The Russian Federation has come to terms with the role of a regional power, for which it still needs to fight.

We don't have a strategy, so we can't promise anything to anyone. After all, we ourselves don’t know what we want and where we are moving. And this state of uncertainty does not suit states like India at all.

This country was part of the Non-Aligned Movement, but was more sympathetic to the USSR. She did not focus on the Soviet bloc because of our rabid atheism. Now the problem of denying religion has been removed in modern Russia, but it is still impossible to focus on us due to the lack of geopolitical priorities. Since we offer nothing to the countries of the world on a global scale, the Indian side has no choice but to agree to American cars and patiently wait for Russia to regain its consciousness and set clear guidelines for its allies.

“SP”: — To promote its interests in India, Russia only lacks political will, or do we also lack resources?

— When we talk about promoting geopolitical interests, resources are not needed. It's about about ideological priorities, about creating a cultural and civilizational code together with our neighbors. Our people and the peoples of neighboring countries are waiting for the Russian leadership to formulate the geopolitical concept of the Russian Federation as a Eurasian power. Due to its size, Russia will not be able to become a nation state. Although Western strategists advise us to dismember the country and enter Europe piece by piece. Some of our politicians share the same opinion. But at least there's some certainty. Now we are hovering over the abyss between two edges: our legs are numb, we have no strength to hold on. But we cannot choose one way or another. And looking at such an extended state, Indians are not inspired. Giving up on us, they start buying american planes and helicopters.

Photo: Maxim Bryansky/Kommersant

Media: India has decided to abandon Russian aircraft in favor of the Ukrainian An-178

© antonov.com

India is no longer interested in the Russian Il-214 aircraft, which took 17 years to develop. But the country will focus on the Ukrainian An-178, reports TV channel 24.ua.

The Il-214 was planned to replace the aging An-12 aircraft used by the Indian Armed Forces and Russian forces. Work on it began back in 2000, and in 2007 India joined its development.

It is reported that the Ilyushin Aviation Complex, NPK Irkut and the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics worked on the development of the aircraft. But during this time the plane was not created, and it exists only in a mock-up. Therefore, India decided to suspend its participation in this project.

The aircraft that India needed had to have a payload capacity of about 20 tons, and also be suitable for use on high-altitude unpaved airfields. As a result, last year India signed an agreement on the joint development of such an aircraft with the Ukrainian Antonov corporation, which already has a flying prototype of the An-178 transport aircraft.

Let us add that earlier the Ukrainian state concern Ukroboronoprom stated that in the production of the An-178 it was possible to completely abandon Russian components.

Let us recall that in 2016, the general director of the Il company, Sergei Velmozhkin, announced that the joint project between Russia and India to create the Il-214 military transport aircraft was frozen. On Friday, March 17, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov announced the final stop of the project.

India, which is armed with Russian-made Su-30MKI fighters, stated that it has a number of significant complaints about these machines. Such information is contained in the report of the Indian audit agency Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). According to the 218-page document, Russian aircraft are not reliable enough to operate.

According to auditors, the airworthiness of Su-30MKI fighters is 55-60% instead of 75% indicated in the manufacturer’s documents.

From the report of the Indian regulatory authorities it follows that a significant part of Sukhoi fighters are constantly in a state where they cannot be flown for technical reasons. The CAG claims that on an average of 210 Su-30MKIs constantly operated by India, 115 to 126 fighters are constantly on the ground due to the need to carry out their technical control and repairs. “This affects the combat effectiveness of air units equipped with machines of this type,” the auditors’ report notes. Moreover,

According to official Indian data, six Sukhoi aircraft have been lost since the start of operation.

CAG experts have already sent their findings to the Indian Parliament for the deputies to review.

According to the Indian side, the most common breakdowns on Su-30MKI fighters are electrical system remote flight control and radar warning receiver.

“In total, since the start of operation, 35 engine failures of this fighter have been recorded, including incidents related to the breakdown of the power plant. The Indian Air Force has currently changed the rules for conducting work on maintenance Su-30MKI,” Defense News quoted a representative of the Indian Ministry of Defense as saying.

The contract for the supply of Su-30MKI fighters to India was concluded in 2002. Initially, under the terms of the agreement, Russia must transfer 272 aircraft of this type to Delhi. However, then India agreed with Moscow that some of the aircraft would be produced at Indian enterprises under a Russian license, and engines with thrust vectoring would be installed on them. On Indian territory, the fighters were assembled by the local state company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

CAG experts say the main reason for the frequent breakdowns of the Su-30MKI is the lack of components for the aircraft, most of which are produced in Russia.

Now Delhi is negotiating with Moscow to open enterprises on Indian territory for assembling the necessary spare parts. According to Defense News, the Indian Defense Minister discussed the possibility of localizing the production of units for the Su-30MKI during a visit to the Russian Federation in November of this year. In the near future, on December 24-25, the Prime Minister of India will arrive in Moscow on an official visit. Among the topics he is expected to discuss with Russian leadership, there will be cooperation between the two countries in the defense-industrial sphere. It is possible that during the visit of the head of the Indian government the issue of creating enterprises in India for the production of components for Russian “dryers” will be raised.

The manufacturer of Su-30MKI aircraft, in an interview with Gazeta.Ru, refused to comment on the situation with servicing aircraft in India, citing the fact that the company is not a subject of military-technical cooperation and does not have a direct contract for servicing dry aircraft on Indian territory. They also refused to provide a comment.

A Gazeta.Ru source close to , noted that to a large extent, the problem with the units for the Su-30MKI for the Indians arises due to “bureaucracy, which was also created by the Indian Ministry of Defense.”

“The process of submitting an application for a particular spare part is very long, and the time from its submission to the delivery of components can take many months. First, the application goes to the FS MTC, then Rosoboronexport gets involved in the issue. And he is not interested in supplying small quantities of spare parts, but is interested in large contracts. The Indian side often needs small batches of components,” said the publication’s interlocutor.

According to him, direct contacts of Sukhoi and Irkut with the Indian defense department could speed up the process of supplying spare parts for Russian fighters in service with the Indian Air Force. “It is possible to create a service center on Indian territory, where a complete set of components for 2-3 aircraft would be stored. It could be made in the form joint venture. By the way, representatives of the Sukhoi Corporation and UAC recently spoke about this during the visit of Indian journalists to Moscow. But the question now is who will finance this service center, because even “disassembled” 2-3 cars cost tens of millions of dollars. It seems to me that India is more interested in this. And Delhi, as practice shows, likes to save on everything,” noted Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor.

A Gazeta.Ru source in the system of military-technical cooperation noted, in turn, that the shortage of spare parts for the Su-30KI from the Indian military arose due to an increase in the number of vehicles that New Delhi purchased from Moscow.

“Roughly speaking, when you operate 10 fighters, you may only need 2-3 technicians to service them. But if you have 20 fighters, then you need to increase the number of engineers, including Russian ones.

There is also a problem with the supply of components, but I want to point out that for such big park 60% airworthiness is a good indicator, it is not so far short of the declared 75%,” said the publication’s interlocutor.

“Recently, information appeared in the German newspaper Der Spiegel with reference to technical service responsible for aircraft maintenance, that only half of the 103 Eurofighter fighters available in the German Air Force cannot take off due to various technical problems", recalled the interlocutor of Gazeta.Ru.

According to him, the appearance of the CAG report in the press is largely connected with the upcoming visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Moscow. “This is how representatives of the Indian Air Force want to draw the politician’s attention to their problems,” he said.

Su-30MKI- an export version of the two-seat multirole fighter Su-30 developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It can carry up to 8 thousand kg of missile and bomb load, and is also armed with a 30-mm GSh-30-1 cannon.

In 2015, in the UK, as part of the international exercise Indrahanush (Rainbow), training battles were held between the Eurofighter Typhoon fighters of the British Air Force and the Su-30MKI of the Indian Air Force. Indian pilots defeated the British Air Force with a score of 12:0. Currently, the Su-30 MKI is in service with Angola, India, Vietnam, Iraq, Algeria, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, China and Uganda. Since the start of production of this type of aircraft in 1992, nine of these aircraft have been lost as a result of various flight accidents.

India is gradually abandoning Russian weapons in favor of American, European, and Ukrainian ones. Russia, unable to carry out import substitution, supplies its most important market with technically outdated and low-quality weapons - from airplanes to submarines. At the same time, the Russians don’t even want to pay for repairs.

Ukrainian enterprises are gradually strengthening their positions on the Indian market, thus taking away from Russian companies certain segments. This, of course, irritates the Kremlin, which is trying, with the help of international and some Ukrainian media, to conduct campaigns to discredit our country. It is important for Moscow to hit the reputation of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and, if not take back the lost contracts, then at least not let the Ukrainians in there.

Russian weapons are being scrapped

Russia continues to lose its position in the global arms markets, and all this is happening for a number of reasons.

The Kremlin cannot cope with the fact that Ukraine is not only opening up new arms markets for itself, but also displacing the Russian manufacturer from there. That’s why Moscow is organizing: in order to damage the reputation of the domestic manufacturer. And there are plenty of examples of such activities - from Turkey to India.

It is the latter that we will now talk about in more detail, since Russia began to rapidly lose its position in the most important arms market for it - the Indian one, and it is losing to absolutely everyone there - both global giants such as the USA, and such players - akin to Ukraine.

Cold shower for the Kremlin

After coming to power, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi put forward a new concept, which was very simply called “Make in India!” “I tell the world: make it in India! Sell ​​anywhere, but make here! We have both skill and talent for this!”, - agitated the head of the Indian government.

The tasks that Modi set for himself were extremely simple: to diversify arms supplies, most of which were carried out by Russia, to acquire technology in order to then sell cheaper analogues on world markets, reaching a sales level of $3 billion annually, and most importantly - strengthen your security system.

For this reason, Modi opened domestic market for the Americans, the French, the Israelis - in general, for Russian competitors. And this is where the problems began for Moscow.

Russian defense enterprises began to lose tender after tender. So, Indians preferred American attack helicopters AH-64E “Apache” by Russian Mi-28. Another failure - a loss in the competition for the supply of heavy transport helicopters: the Mi-26 lost to the American CH-47F “Chinook”. It is known that the American P-8 anti-submarine aircraft supplanted the Russian Tu-142, and the Il-476 transport aircraft lost to the American C-17 Globemaster.

At all Russian planes are uncompetitive, and a lot of evidence can be found for this. Let's remember how, during the announcement of the competition for a fourth-generation fighter, the Indians simply crossed out the Russian MiG-35 from the shortlist. There were several reasons: firstly, the plane had avionics and power point from the last century, and secondly, the ship was not only not accepted for service, but was not even produced in small series. In other words, the Russians tried to sell the technology not of a production car, but of an ordinary prototype.

The French won the competition, agreeing to supply 36 Rafale fighters for nine billion dollars; however, New Delhi did not require permission from Paris for licensed production.

The situation is similar with fifth-generation aircraft. Now the Indian government is clearly hinting to Moscow that it sees no prospects in the project of such a Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) fighter, created jointly with the Russian Federation on the basis of the Su-57.

Ten years have passed since the launch of this project, but the final contract for the design of the aircraft has not been signed: first the Indians complained about weak engines, then they made claims about the fighter’s radar and its stealth system.

Now New Delhi is thinking about purchasing American F-35s. The Indian Air Force's requirement may be 126 fighters in various modifications.

Note that in April 2017, the F-35 almost completely destroyed the Atlantic Trident during the exercises. best fighters fourth generation. Their pilots did not even have time to understand what happened to them. By 2020, their price could be $80 million, which is acceptable for Indians.

The Russians have no choice but to offer to create a fifth-generation Su-35 for the needs of India, the modernization of which will be cheaper common project according to Su-57.

So the head of the Russian Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, has already stated: “We are holding negotiations and have signed a protocol of intent for the Su-35. Now we are developing ideas for this contract and working to create a production base for the fifth generation aircraft.".

The problem is that the standard Su-35 design matches the characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter, except that it does not have stealth properties. The fifth generation version of the Su-35 will likely be nothing more than a modification of this 4++ generation fighter, albeit with stealth characteristics.

In general, the Kremlin is trying to Once again to deceive the Hindus, and not for the first time. And we will definitely talk about this, but for now we will just note that the Indians, of course, will happily buy the latest American fighter and, probably, will not even ask to sell them the technology.

If the Kremlin wins somewhere, it will only be through the sale of those very technologies - that is, the surrender of its national interests.

This is already happening with “BrahMos” - the Russian-Indian winged supersonic missile, created on the basis of the Russian anti-ship missile Onyx.

Recently India came out on international arena with news about R&D (Research and Development) on this rocket. This means only one thing: Moscow is ready to donate the technology for its creation and help in subsequent improvement.

In fact, this path will only lead to the fact that Russia, after five to ten years, will not only lose a major buyer in India, but will also create a competitor for itself.

At the same time, the share of Russian weapons in the Indian market is falling uncontrollably: in the last two years alone, it has lost almost a billion dollars in the Indian direction. This means that the United States has either already taken or will soon take a leading position in this market.

Just recently, United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in India, bringing with him a proposal for the localization of F-16 multirole fighters. In addition, New Delhi wants, together with the Americans, to build the Vishal, the largest aircraft carrier in the country’s history. The Indians also purchased the helicopter carrier USS Trenton (LPD-14), and the Air Force has already ordered 22 MQ-9B UAVs worth $2 - $3 billion.

It is noteworthy that the Russians have nothing to answer: for last year Not a single defense contract was signed between the governments of Delhi and Moscow. However, instead of developing a new concept, the Kremlin chose a different path - selling junk.

When instead of a weapon there is a dummy

In fact, Indians are already afraid to buy weapons from Russia - after all, every time you buy a pig in a poke.

Back in December 2015, the Indian audit agency CAG presented an expert opinion on the operation of Su-30MKI fighter jets purchased from Russia. The auditors noted that on average, of the 210 fighter aircraft operated by Indian pilots, between 115 and 126 are constantly grounded due to breakdowns. And according to the Indian Ministry of Defense, six vehicles have been lost since the start of operation.

In August 2016, it became known that Russia again sold defective fighters to India: this time we are talking about aircraft such as the MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB, deliveries of which began at the end of 2014. The audit showed that 62% of Russian engines were found unusable. At the same time, Moscow, despite significant defects in the aircraft, refused to service them free of charge.

But there are problems not only with aircraft, and also with ground vehicles.

India intends to get rid of its fleet of T-72 tanks in the next ten years, replacing them with more new model main battle tank (MBT). The Russians would like to offer their T-90S. However, after what happened at the Army international games in Alabino, nothing shines for Moscow.

During a tank biathlon competition, two Russian-designed and Indian-assembled T-90S Bhishma tanks - the main and the spare - failed. As a result, the Indians were removed from the competition. At the same time, the Indian military previously complained that the tanks could not operate for a long time at high temperatures due to problems with the radiator. It is clear that after the incident the Russians did not modernize their armored vehicles.

It's risky to buy from the Kremlin and marine technology. Let’s not remember the story of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, built on the basis of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Gorshkov - a ship that, after sea trials in 2012, was repaired for another year. Let's remember another story that happened last year, when the Russian-made nuclear submarine Chakra, leased to the Indian Navy India, also failed.

New Delhi placed responsibility on Moscow and asked the Russians to carry out renovation work, arguing that they were originally sold an outdated submarine. They, as usual, refused.

Now Russia is trying to sell its Indian partners at exorbitant prices. anti-aircraft missile systems S-400. The price of one complex is twice as high as what was included in the Chinese contract. However, the Indians are in no hurry to buy the S-400. There are two reasons: firstly, the price, and secondly, their availability Chinese side- Indian competitor.

That is why the Indians are negotiating with other countries about the supply of air defense systems. Just last year, India ordered from Israel for its needs ground forces and the Navy Barak 8 air defense system, worth $2 billion, which will be installed, among other things, on Indian aircraft carriers. Perhaps not the best analogue in the world, but it is reliable and safe. And most importantly - predictable.

India chooses Ukraine

However, what irritates the Kremlin most of all is not the Americans, for whom they cannot provide adequate competition, but the Ukrainians, who are gaining a foothold in the Indian market.

India is one of Ukraine’s major trading partners in the field of military-technical cooperation. Only from 2015 to 2017. Ukraine annually fulfilled contracts worth 120-140 million dollars. Over the past year, Ukrainian manufacturers were able to sign contracts worth 35 million dollars and the prospects are opening up more and more.

The Spetstechnoexport company fulfilled the main part of the contract for the repair of An-32 aircraft for the Indian Air Force. 40 aircraft that were supposed to be repaired in Ukraine have already been repaired. And another 64 aircraft should be supplied with modernization kits.

As Valentin Badrak, Director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Research, pointed out in an interview with Glavkom: “This proved that the design school in Ukraine has not only survived, but also has a tendency to develop. Although the Indian side does not openly say that it has abandoned the MTA project (construction of the Multi-role Transport Aircraft military transport aircraft), in fact Russia has this refusal. The Ukrainian side can carry out such a project without problems.".

Moreover, the Indian Ministry of Defense and a number of companies in this country have already signed 15 memorandums with the Ukrainian side on the production of transport aircraft, on long-term supplies of gas turbine units for Indian military ships, etc.

Spetstechnoexport continues to participate, together with the private company Spaitech, in a large $100 million tender for the supply of unmanned systems from this company for Indian border guards. By the way, this is the first UAV tender of this scale in which a Ukrainian company is participating.

Now the Ukrainian enterprise has fulfilled a contract with the HAL corporation dated 2013 for the supply of beam holders. And immediately, in February 2018, the Indian Ministry of Defense again requested these products worth $3 million.

It is for this reason – because of trust in the Ukrainian manufacturer – that the Indian side continues to order Ukrainian products and services.

Therefore, against this background of positive trends for Ukraine on the Indian market and negative ones for Moscow, it is already clear where articles and information campaigns, to discredit Spetstechnoexport, the main Ukrainian player in the Indian market, by the same holders.

The problem is that the Indians did not complain about the holders, but these holders are a problem for the Russians. After all, they are necessary to equip Russian Su-30MKI aircraft. This means that the Russians cannot provide full technical support for their vehicles, which carries further reputational risks.

And all this is happening against the backdrop of India’s complete refusal to deploy those same BrahMos missiles on board the Sukhoi. They want to create a new air-to-surface missile and install it on this aircraft. The engine must be made in India.

This is what “Make in India” means. The Russians gave away the development to BrahMos and practically received a competitive, cheaper product. Time will pass, and the Indians will release their Su, and not only the 30MKI type. And Ukraine will help them in this, thanks to its existing potential, both scientific and production.

That is why everything that is currently happening around the contract for the supply of beam holders looks very suspicious and ridiculous - yet it is clear to everyone exactly who benefits from this, and who is not sparing money to inflate it all to the scale of “another fire.”

New sanctions and failure of import substitution

At the same time, from the perspective of new American sanctions and Rogozin’s failure of the import substitution program, the situation with the production and export potential of the Russian Federation in the defense industry will only get worse and worse every day - from the inability to fulfill existing contracts to clients refusing new contracts.

Let us recall that the sanctions list includes leading enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex such as Uralvagonzavod, the Kalashnikov concern, industry corporations USC, ODK, UAC and others. For the first time, the Samara concern Basalt appears on the list, which supplies ammunition abroad for previously sold Russian equipment.

The list generally covers more than 30 key management companies of the Russian defense industry. The list may be subject to changes and additions in the future.

The reactions of the Moscow press and the expert community to the next wave of sanctions contain nervous bravado and assurances that “talents” Russian business have already gotten the hang of circumventing sanctions. Allegedly, in settlements with clients, Russian enterprises easily maneuver past American payment systems, banks and insurance companies.

But the whole point is that carriers, transit countries and importers of Russian weapons do not maneuver this way. Many of them do not need to run from the threat of seizure of accounts. Moscow understands this circumstance very well, and sees what a powerful blow the next wave of sanctions is inflicting on the Russian defense industry.

appeared quite real threat that the circle of importers will narrow, and only regular customers will remain the main consumers of Russian weapons - the Syrian Assad regime, North Korea, Iran, as well as various terrorist organizations, which in Moscow with pathos are called “banned on the territory of the Russian Federation,” implying that outside the territory of the Russian Federation, things are more than normal with them.

The remaining buyer states, under the conditions of sanctions, will not risk buying Russian products even at bargain prices, that is, almost for nothing. Having calculated a similar effect from sanctions pressure, the US authorities seemed to take into account the recommendations of the once again beloved “father of nations” in today’s Russia, Joseph Stalin, who assured that “revenge is a dish that must be served cold.”