MiG deal to figure in Ivanov’s talks with Pranab

However, after the Russian Government found that RAC-MiG’s debt and resource crunch was jeopardising the possibility of supplying the equipment on time despite the Indian Government’s advance payment, heads rolled. In September, RAC-MiG’s general director Valery Torjanin was replaced with Irkuts chief Alexey Fedorov. In his former capacity, Fedorov had overseen the sale of Su-30 fighters to India.

With Fedorov at the helm, it has been reported that RAC-MiG might finally market its fighters through Rosoboronexport that markets Sukhoi and other Russian aircraft.

Since no other significant defence discussions are expected between Mukherjee and Ivanov, the impasse over the MiG-29K purchase is almost certain to take centrestage. Ivanov, known to be close to Putin, was instrumental in cutting the Gorshkov deal with India earlier this year.

South Block sources said another imbroglio over the upgradation of the Indian Navy’s Russian Tu-142 maritime surveillance aircraft could also come up. Russia’s refusal to take part in a tripartite upgrade programme for the fleet with Israel compelled the Indian Navy to consider the American P3-C Orion and French Atlantique-3.