145;No aircraft engines to Pak, please146;

That8217;s what Delhi is telling Moscow on the China-Pak fighter aircraft JV; will raise with Putin too when he8217;s here for R-Day

India is quietly trying to persuade Russia not to supply aircraft engines for the China-Pakistan Joint Fighter-17 project arguing that supply of these multi-role planes to Islamabad will have 8220;serious security ramifications8221; for the subcontinent.

While Russian officials, in ongoing talks, have told New Delhi that under contractual obligations, China will have to take Russian permission before it exports the fighters to Islamabad, the feeling in New Delhi is that given Pakistan8217;s stakes 8212; it has invested an estimated 400 million in the entire joint venture 8212; the issue needs to be taken up at the highest political level during Russian President Vladimir Putin8217;s visit next month.

New Delhi8217;s concerns over the JF-17 Thunder fighter project were conveyed by Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt to the high-power Russian defence delegation for the Inter-Governmental Military Technical Cooperation Meeting this week.

The Thunder project, a 50:50 joint venture between Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, will commence in March 2007 with an initial production of 16 aircraft for Islamabad. Under the contract signed between China and Russia, Moscow will supply 100 RD-93 used in Indian MiG-29s engines with an option of another 400.

The issue was raised on the sidelines of the India-Russia cooperation meeting on December 20-21, which was attended by General Alexander Dennisov, Deputy Director of Russian Federal Service on Military Technical Cooperation, and Yuriy Koptev, Co-Chairman of Russian Ship, Aviation and Land Systems.

The Indian side was led by Secretary Defence Production K P Singh and Director General Acquisition S. Bannerjee. This meeting laid the framework for Defence Minister A K Antony meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov during Putin8217;s three-day visit beginning January 24, 2007 Putin is also the chief guest for Republic Day.

Reminding Russia of its commitment as a strategic partner, New Delhi had raised the issue last September with Moscow when Dutt met Mikhail Dmitriyev, First Deputy Defence Minister. Dutt had gone to review the progress of the Russian Akula class nuclear submarine that is to be leased to India.

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New Delhi told Moscow officials that with Islamabad involved in the project, there was no way that Moscow could stop Beijing from giving the JF-17 fighters to Islamabad. While India accounts for 38 of Russian defence exports, China tops with 45.

That New Delhi is extremely concerned over the JF-17 project becomes clear from the fact that the Indian Air Force may be asked to do an assessment of these planes in the context of regional security. The other Chinese J-10 fighter project also uses Russian Al-31 aircraft engines, which are also used in Indian Su-30 MKI.