China relying less on Russia for weapons, energy: think tank

China's dependence on Russia for arms and energy imports has declined and Moscow's position when dealing with Beijing has weakened as a result, a Swedish think tank said.

"Decreasing dependence on Russian arms exports and a growing number of alternative energy suppliers mean that China has taken the upper hand in the relationship," the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report released Monday.

A key to the changing dynamic, the report said, is that China "is today mainly interested in acquiring technology to develop its own arms industry," and so its need for Russian-made weaponry has diminished.

Moscow has proved unwilling to sell its most sophisticated systems to Beijing, because it fears China will copy the technology and then export its own product.

"The nature of the arms transfer relationship will increasingly be characterized by competition rather than cooperation," said Paul Holtom, who heads SIPRI's arms transfer program.

China's position has been further strengthened because its need for Russian crude oil has declined over the past five years, according to SIPRI.

"China's largest oil supplier is Saudi Arabia, followed by Angola, Iran and Oman," SIPRI said.

"In the gas sector, Russia's negotiating position has been seriously weakened by China's success in finding other partners, especially in Central Asia."

West To Have 80,000 Cruise Missiles By 2020-Russian Military Experts

Russian military experts forecast that Western nations will have 80,000 cruise missile by 2020, a deputy commander of the Russian General Staff said on Saturday.

"We expect Western countries to have at least 80,000 cruise missiles by 2020, including about 2,000 of them nuclear-powered," Gen. Igor Sheremet said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

He added these missiles are clearly not simply designed for drilling or intimidation purposes.

"They can deliver disarming or even 'decapitation' strikes," Sheremet said.

Hence, he said, the plans to develop Russia's air and space defense system in 2011 as instructed by President Dmitry Medvedev in November.

France, Russia to sign warship deal before Putin's visit

France and Russia should sign a contract on four Mistral class helicopter carriers for Russia before June 21, when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is to visit France, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.

"We have agreed everything with President Medvedev - the price, the timeframe, the transfer of technology, and the construction site," Sarkozy said.

"Contract negotiations are over; it only remains to decide when this contract will be signed: The deadline is June 21 because this is when Prime Minister Putin will come to Paris."

Medvedev and Sarkozy agreed earlier on Thursday that a contract will be signed within 15 days.

"We have reached a final agreement that this contract will be signed in 15 days. Two helicopter carriers will be built in France and two more in Russia," Sarkozy said after talks with Medvedev.

Russia and France in January signed an intergovernmental agreement to build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are planned to be constructed later at Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.

However, contract talks stumbled over Russia's demand for the transfer of sensitive electronic systems.

Russia Delivers Two Combat Helicopters

Russia has delivered two Mi-35P Hind E attack helicopters to Peru under a contract to provide the South American country with air power to combat cocaine production and terrorism.

The disassembled helicopters were delivered to Peru on board a Russian An-124-100 Condor transport plane.

"The assembly of the helicopters by Russian technicians has already begun," Igor Korotchenko, the head of Russia's Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade, said on Tuesday.

"The helicopters will be tested in the air in the next few days before the official transfer to the Peruvian Air Force," he said.

The Mi-35 is an improved export version of the famed Mi-24 attack helicopter, which combines high fire power with troop transport capability.

Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Peruvian Defense Ministry signed a $108-million contract on the delivery of six Mi-171 Hip H multirole helicopters and two Mi-35 helicopters in July 2010.

The delivery of the first two Mi-171s to Peru is expected in May.

The helicopters will be used in anti-drug and anti-terrorism efforts in the valley of the Apurimac and Ene rivers.

The area was declared a zone of military operations in August 2009 as fighting between government troops and the Sendero Luminoso Maoist guerilla group intensified.

Sendero Luminoso, regarded by Peru as a terrorist organization, is believed to have strong ties with drug traffickers. The group is on the U.S. and EU lists of terrorist organizations.

Naval fighter jet to be part of Russian Air Force

Naval strike aircraft will be reassigned to the Russian Air Force by the end of 2011, a high-ranking Navy source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

"The strike component of naval aviation will be transferred under the control of the Russian Air Force by the end of the year," the source said.

Naval strike aircraft include Tu-22M3 Backfire long-range bombers, MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors, Su-27 Flanker fighter jets, and Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft.

"Black Sea Fleet's Su-24 attack aircraft based in the Crimea under a treaty with Ukraine will remain under control of the Navy as an exception," the source added.

The Navy will also retain control over Su-33 Flanker D and Su-25UTG Frogfoot carrier-based aircraft, Il-38 May and Be-12 anti-submarine warfare aircraft. The transfer of the naval transport aircraft fleet to the Air Force is still under discussion.

According to the source, the Russian navy will soon start receiving MiG-29K Fulcrum fighter jets.

Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, is capable of carrying 26 Su-33 and MiG-29K aircraft.

Russia is aiming to finish drafting plans for a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for its Navy by 2012 and build at least three of the ships for its Northern and Pacific fleets.

Russian Submarine

A missile production plant insouthern Siberia has produced enough Bulava ballistic missiles to complete its tests and arm the first Borey class strategic submarine, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Monday.

"A batch of missiles sufficient to finish the tests and equip one submarine has been produced already. Larger production would cause the missiles to stock up," Ivanov said after a meeting of defense industry officials in the southern Siberian republic of Udmurtia.

The Bulava (SS-NX-30) submarine-launched ballistic missile carries up to 10 MIRV warheads and has a range of over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles).

Despite several previous failures, officially blamed on manufacturing defaults, the Russian military has insisted that there is no alternative to the Bulava and pledged to continue testing the missile until it is ready for service with the Navy.

Russian Ground Troop Says Chinese Arms Better Than Russian Arms

The Russian defense industry manufactures poor quality arms for ground forces. NATO and China produce better quality hardware, the commander of Russian ground troops Alexander Postnikov said.

"The combat vehicle arsenal, artillery systems and small arms produced by the domestic defense industry fall behind NATO and even Chinese arms," the official stated.

  

Postnikov particularly cracked down on the Russian T-90 tank, which, as he said, "was a 17th modification of the Soviet T-72 tank produced since 1973. According to the official, a tank like that currently costs 118 million rubles ($4 million). "It would be easier for us to purchase three Leopards from Germany for this money," he said. 

He did not explain, though, why India prefers to buy one Russian T-90 tank instead of three German Leopards. India plans to use T-90s to replace its outdated T-72 and T-55 tanks. Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan also signed contracts with Russia for the delivery of such machines, but Mr. Postnikov disregarded that too.

There are other interesting aspects to the story. According to media reports, in 2010, one T-90 tank was valued at 70 million rubles ($2.3 million). Therefore, it is not clear how the cost increased more than 1.7 times in less than a year. 

Russia to lease nuclear submarine to India

Russia will lease a nuclear powered submarine to India before October, a Russian Navy Staff admiral said on Wednesday.

Previous media reports said that the K-152 Nerpa attack submarine had already been transferred to India on a 10-year lease.

"The submarine is completely ready for transfer. An Indian crew is currently training aboard with Russian instructors," the admiral - who requested anonymity - said.

The training course includes the launching of cruise missiles, he added.

"This should be completed before October: We're running late as it is," the admiral said.

Twenty sailors were killed onboard the submarine as the K-152 Nerpa was undergoing sea trials in the Sea of Japan in November 2008. A fire extinguishing system malfunctioned leading to the discharge of a toxic gas.

The boat is now fully operational after repairs.

Pak FA 2nd Prototypes Maiden Flight Pics

A second prototype of the Russian fifth-generation T-50 fighter successfully conducted its maiden flight on Thursday, the Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer said. The T-50 fighter is being developed by the Sukhoi design bureau and built at a plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in Russia's Far East.

USA Confirms Plans For Missile Defense Base in Poland

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has confirmed Washington's plans to deploy missile defenses and Air Force units in Poland.

"As was announced by our two presidents in December, we plan to establish a new permanent U.S. air detachment in Poland, build missile defenses in Poland, and as agreed at the NATO summit, develop a contingency plan in the region," Clinton told journalists ahead of talks with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Washington.

Wikileaks published U.S. cables in late 2010 showing that NATO was drawing up a plan on the protection of Estonia, Lithuania and Poland from external threats on a request from the United States and Germany.

The Guardian reported that under the plan, reportedly approved by Clinton, the United States, Britain, Germany and Poland would deploy troops in the region in case of a military aggression against the Baltic States or Poland itself.

According to the British newspaper, NATO members approved the draft plan during the alliance's summit in Lisbon in November 2010.

Russia says S-300 deliveries to Venezuela delayed

Deliveries of S-300 missile defense systems to Venezuela have been delayed, but will go ahead, an official at Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-owned arms export monopoly, said on Tuesday.

In November, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that Russia had agreed to lend his country over $4 billion to buy weapons.

Russia’s Renewed Arms Sale to China

Tensions in the arms sales relationship between Russia and China have been visibly on the rise in recent years.  Yet, in November 2010, Moscow and Beijing announced a large new package of arms sales that appear to have turned a new leaf in this relationship. 

Much of the tension stemmed from the Chinese defense industry's practice of reverse engineering Russian weapons technology, indigenizing it and then reselling it in third party markets in competition with Moscow.

Made In Germany For Russia’s Army

Germany is joining a scramble among West-European producers of military equipment for Russian orders. NATO and the United States are silent bystanders to this growing trend, which challenges the Alliance’s defense posture and planning, as well as the US’s hitherto trend-setting role in the Alliance.

Russia at Aero India 2011 Airshow

The 8th International Exhibition on Aerospace, Defence and Civil Aviation Aero India 2011, which is one of the biggest among such events in Asia, is hosted at the Air Force Station Yelahanka in the suburbs of Bangaluru from 9th to 13th February 2011. The Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosoboronexport, a regular participant in the air show, is promoting more than 80 items of weapons and military equipment.

Aerospace systems have always been a centrepiece in the defence cooperation between Russia and India. It was in 1964 when the first batch of the MiG-21 aircraft was delivered to India and our countries started then their modern-era military cooperation. The mutually advantageous collaboration has been maintained for decades, and is now raised to a strategic partnership level.

Last visit to India of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev testifies to the high status of our relations. A number of important agreements were signed, including a feasibility study contract for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) development programme. That was a start of the joint programme implementation. Similar developments are also carried out by USA and China.Thanks to the cooperation with Russia, India can be justly classed now in their number.

Just as prospective is a development programme for the Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MTA) which is planned to enter service with Air Forces of both countries in future. The aircraft is intended for active operation by both military services and commercial air lifting companies.