New Delhi (Sputnik): In an attempt to carve a bigger space for its defense industry, Ukraine has offered maintenance to the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier Vikramaditya and will jointly produce gas turbine engines with the world's largest importer of defense equipment. The Ukrainian defense industry enterprise has also signed new contracts worth over $20 million with India's state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) for the modernization and localization of the production of components for armored vehicles of the Indian Army.
"The parties discussed the further participation of Ukrainian defense industry enterprises in modernization and development of the Indian Navy: continued delivery and joint production of gas turbine engines, maintenance of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya — built by specialists of Mykolaiv shipbuilding plant," UkrOboronProm said in a statement on Thursday.
Indian scientists have reportedly been engaged in the development of gas turbine engines for the last three decades but with little success. Now, the state-owned DRDO wants help from foreign manufacturers to fully develop the engine.
Ukraine has also evinced interest in the joint production of ships and coastal radar systems, sea buoys and supplies of spare parts for Indian ships and submarines.
"The chief of the naval staff of the Republic of India expressed support and interest in cooperating with Ukrainian enterprises in a number of existing projects," the UkrOboronProm statement further read.
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In another development, India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has signed a MoU with Motorsich JSC and Ivchenko Progress SE, Ukraine, for the engine design, development, testing and manufacturing of critical components during the ongoing DefExpo 2018 in Chennai.
"HAL is already in the process of designing and developing medium thrust and shaft engines. This MoU will facilitate the further strengthening of the development and testing of these indigenous engines," T Suvarna Raju, CMD of HAL, said.
Both Motorsich JSE and Ivchenko Progress are the manufacturers and suppliers of aeroengines for various platforms situated in Ukraine.