Russia will set up licensed production of tank and rocket artillery ammunitions in India, top arms trade officials said here.
“We are not only selling things, we are also setting up production facilities. Work has begun on establishing a joint venture in India to manufacture projectiles for Smerch multi-barrel mobile rocket launchers, ” Viktor Komardin, deputy head of Rosoboronexport, state arms exporter, told reporters at the Machine-Building Technologies-2012 defence show near here on Friday.
Smerch (Tornado) fires 300-mm rockets powered by solid fuel engines to distances in the 20-90-km range. The rockets are 7.6 metres long and weigh 800 kg, including a 100-kg warhead. India has 42 Smerch launchers.
Advanced tank ammunitions
Another deputy head, Igor Sevastyanov, said Russia was nearing a deal with India on supply and manufacture of advanced tank ammunitions.
“We have completed the first round of negotiations on the delivery of 3UBK20 (Mango) tank projectiles and will open the second round on Monday for their licensed production in India.”
Earlier this year, Russia signed $1 billion worth of contracts with India for supply of tank and artillery projectiles, anti-tank rockets and other ammunitions for land forces, business daily Vedomosti reported, citing defence industry sources.
Keywords: Russia, India, munitions, arms trade
We can only hang our head in utter despondence about this import menia- when we can make almost every thing in India. If we have succeed so successfully in Pinaka & there is move to extend its range too- developing Smerch in 300 dia would be no big deal Setting up production facility with foreign technology seldom helps.We have not really picked up any worthwhile technology during our 50 years of aircraft manufacturing jointly in our HAL -MiG complexes?So it will be in Smerch & tandem charge 3UBK20 tank ammo code named what is best in India ie Mango.
DRDO & India industrial entrepreneurs have to put extra efforts to wean the Users/ vested interests from the lure of the imports and assure them that if India can develop Agni-V,Risat,Arjun MkII, BLT's-for sure it can have MLRS with better reach than the imported version.India has mastered rocket science and it has been in action at ARDE of the DRDO and of course in other labs too.
It makes more sense to manufacture in a joint venture, creating jobs and
eventually wealth, than buying excessively from the US, only to make
ourselves more and more indebted.
Another shameful episode in the defense sector. India can't even manufacture the ammunition and projectiles for the rocket launchers and tanks! So what happened to those technology transfer agreements that supposedly came with the purchase of foreign made defense platforms? Guess some people got the kickback and shortchanged India. Nothing can save this country!
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