MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) – India’s Air Force commanders have expressed interest in the Russian surface-to-air missile systems in the course of the joint Russian-Indian Air Force exercise “Aviandra-2014”, Maj. Gen. Sergey Babakov told journalists Wednesday.
“They have expressed great interest in our systems, they probably need to modernize their weapons arsenal,” Maj. Gen. Babakov, head of the Russian Air Force's anti-aircraft missile troops, said.
India is particularly interested in Russia’s S-400 (SA-21 Growler), S-300PM (SA-10d/e), Pantsir-S1 (SA-22 Greyhound) and Buk surface-to-air missile systems, according to Maj. Gen. Babakov.
The “Aviandra-2014” drills are the first ever joint Russian-Indian air force exercise, which involves joint flights with mixed Russian-Indian crews on Su-30 SM “Flanker-C” aircraft and Mil Mi-35 “Hind E” helicopters. The drills, which will continue through September 5, are taking place at the Pogonovo and Ashuluk testing ranges in Russia’s Voronezh and Astrakhan regions.
The Indian troops arrived in Russia on August 25.
Russia and India are major partners in the field of military cooperation. Over 70 percent of all military equipment used by the Indian Armed Forces was produced in Russia or the Soviet Union.
The countries are working together to create new weapons and have agreed to jointly develop a fifth-generation fighter jet and military transport aircraft.
