Russia has lost its most important military contract of this century, namely delivery to the Indian Army of 126 fighter jets worth more than 10 billion dollars, a failure with deep implications for the Russian arms industry, Kommersant newspaper commented.
The Russian side signed up the with MIG-35 model. Moscow is thought to console itself by the fact that its U.S. rivals Boeing and Lockeed Martin didn’t have more chances, writing ironically the Russian journalists.
“This confirms that the Eurofighter and Rafale jet aircraft were selected for the shortlist, the other four being excluded”, the Indian Defence Ministry said, quoted by BBC. Swedish company Saab was the fourth in the competition for this huge contract.
U.S. Embassy in New Delhi said it was disappointed by the Indian government decision after the President Barack Obama himself has been lobbying intensely for the two American manufacturers of combat aircraft. Immediately after the announcement of the Indian Ministry of Defence, the U.S. ambassador announced his resignation, stressing that it is personal reasons.
A recently published report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reveals that India is the leading importer of arms in the world, surpassing China. In 2006-2010, the Indian Army has purchased 9 percent of the weapons traded globally, according to the document cited. India will spend a total of 50 billion dollars over the next five years to modernize its armed forces.
According to Kommersant newspaper, the Indian side has sent a letter on Wednesday RSK to Russian companies Rosoboronexport and MIG explaining why it refused MIG-35. Russian Analysts are stressing, however, that failure to the tender in India means a significantly lower chance of this fighting jet to be sold to other armies. The result is all the more disappointing as the high-ranking officials in Moscow earlier this year were confident that the MIG-35 will win the competition, mainly due to its much lower price compared to the Eurofighter and Rafale aircraft.