Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

India, Russia to collaborate in space and defense projects.

These two countries might have the best research teams anywhere.

-Am


Russia, India sign space co-operation protocol
22.46 IST 19th July 2004

By IndiaExpress Bureau

India and Russia on Monday signed a protocol to boost co-operation in space including joint development of global navigation system and launching Russian spacecraft by Indian rockets.

The protocol signed by Gen. Anatoly Perminov of Russian Federal Space Agency -"Roskosmos"- and ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair also provides for the joint projects in space exploration.

Nair and Perminov discussed the prospects for the restoration and joint use of the global satellite network for navigation (GPS) and the possibility of launching Russian spacecraft on Indian-made space launch vehicles, agency spokesman Vyacheslav Davydenko said.

India and Russia are exploring the possibility of developing equipment for Earth probes, joint research in the area of electric engines for spacecraft, and joint projects for probing lunar surface and building a space-based solar observatory to study X-ray radiation.

Russia has also indicated its desire to join India's 'Chandrayan' Lunar project.

Peaceful cooperation in the sphere of space has been an important part of Indo-Russian relations. In the 1970s-80s, the Soviet Union had launched first Indian satellites-Aryabhatta and Bhaskara from its Baikonur cosmodrome.

The first Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma had traveled to the Soviet Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/world/20040719-2.html



India, Russia to collaborate in cutting edge defence projects
19.24 IST 17th July 2004

By IndiaExpress Bureau

In tune with growing collaborations among western nations in defence sector, India and Russia are on the path to jointly work in cutting edge defence projects, Indian Ambassador to Moscow, Krishnan Raghunath, said.

"The principle has been established and we have a future," Raghunath said in an interview published by 'Indian Defence Review' (IDR) quarterly in its latest issue.

"Certain areas in the defence sector for further R and D are being discussed with India," he affirmed.

Raghunath also dispelled notions that discussions on jointly developing the fifth generation fighter were taking inordinately long.

He gave the example of the first Indo-Russian collaboration in cutting edge technology, the supersonic Brahmos missile. Work on developing the missile started in 1995 and the first test took place only after six years.

"Building a futuristic fighter aircraft is not only complex but costly as well. These things take time," he observed.

Ambassador Raghunath, who is completing his three-year stint in Moscow next month, pointed out that Indo-Russian defence partnership was in tune with the growing trend of collaborations among western countries on major defence projects.

He gave the example of eight western nations jointly developing the fifth generation Joint Strike Fighter. Russia is similarly reaching out and is collaborating with the French to develop the MiG advanced trainer.


http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/world/20040717-3.html