DEC 28: India and Russia today signed their single largest ever defence deal for the production of 140 Sukhoi-30MKI multi-role jets in India by HAL over a span of 17 years under Russian license, Interfax news agency reported.The over three billion dollar deal was inked at SU-30MKI manufacturing ``IAPO' aircraft plant in the Siberian city of Irkutsk.``It is the single largest defence deal ever signed by Russia with any foreign country,'' Russia's main `ORT' TV said.High level Indian team led by Dhirendra Singh, Additional Secretary Defence production and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman Krishna Das Nair, currently in Russia completed the formalities and inked the deal in the Siberian city of Irkutsk at local aircraft plant ''IAPO'' with the officials of ``ROSOBORONPROM'' state arms exporting agency.The deal provides for the full production of 150 next generation combat jets in India and has taken their defence cooperation "far beyond" a "buyer-seller" relationship, Russian and Indian defence experts say.Encouraged by the professional competence of the Indian engineers and experts, the Sukhoi Corpration has expressed its willingness to jointly develop a fifth generation fighter with India for the Russian and Indian Air Forces if the political leadership of the two countries decides.The two countries had agreed for the Sukhoi technology transfer during Russian Prisdent Vladimir Putin's India visit on October 2-5, when Defence Minister George Fernandes and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Iliya Klebanov signed a memorandum.Under the deal India would be given a ``deep'' license, which provides for the indigenous production of all the components of SU-30MKI over a period of 20 years including `AL-31FP's state-of-the-art thurst - vectoring engines.India could use the technological spin-off of the ``MKI'' project for developing its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).Under the earlier 1.8 billion dollar Sukhoi deal signed with Russia in November 1966, India is to get 40 SU-30MKI multi-role fighters with mid-air refuelling capability.An additional deal was signed in December 1998 for the purchase of the 10 SU-30K, which would be finally upgraded to ``MKI'' where ``I'' stands for ``India''.The deliveries of SU-30MKI and upgradation of already supplied SU-30MK and SU-30K fighters would be completed by year 2004-05, when HAL is expected to commence their fully indigenous production.Russia has already delivered 16 ``MK'' and ``K'' modifications of SU-30-multi-role fighter to India described by the Indian Air Chief A Y Tipnis as ``the pride of the Indian Air Force''.
