Hasten projects with India: Putin to officials

Keen to give a push to cooperation with India, Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked his government to speed up defence projects with India.

Putin said it was Russia's priority to have more joint weapon development programmes with India and other foreign countries.

"I would ask you to speed up implementation of joint projects agreed during our visit to India in January," Putin said while presiding over a meeting of the Federal Commission for Military-Technical Cooperation (MTC) last night.

In his televised opening remarks at the nodal arms export control body meeting, Putin said Russia's primary objective was to work out new forms of cooperation. "The priority here is certainly joint weapon development and their subsequent serial production, both for domestic and export markets," he said.

During Putin's visit to New Delhi in January, India and Russia had agreed to jointly develop and produce a fifth generation fighter aircraft and a multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) with the involvement of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia's Sukhoi Corporation.

Putin lauded the performance of NPO Mashinostroyenia, the Russian partner in the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

According to local defence experts, BrahMos Aerospace has been given a green signal by the two governments for the export of its deadly anti-ship cruise missiles to third "friendly" countries.