India-Russian project to develop transport planes

The India-Russian project to develop multi-role transport aircraft has run into trouble after New Delhi expressed dissatisfaction over the business plan given by Moscow, sources said on Sunday. "India is not satisfied as Russia has not assigned very little role for Indian experts in the project. Even Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony conveyed this to his Russian counterpart Anatoly E. Serdyukov during his Europe visit earlier this month," the sources told media in the national capital. However, soon a meeting between the two sides would be organized to settle the matter for the project worked out to be 600.7 million U.S. dollars, the sources added. India's state-owned airframer, Hindustan Aeronautics, had in 2007 signed an agreement with Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport and United Aircraft to form a joint venture for the project, based in southern city of Bangalore. The aircraft will have a glass cockpit for electronic instrument displays, fly by wire controls, full authority digital engine control engines, 800 km per hour cruise speed, and range of 2,500 km. India would acquire 45 aircraft while Russia 100. There would be scope for exporting this aircraft, and the plan is to produce a total of 205 aircraft.