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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Navy_gears_up_for_wargames_with_Russia/articleshow/3969544.cms
Navy gears up for wargames with Russia
13 Jan 2009, 0340 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: Soon after the huge tri-Service amphibious warfare exercise `Triveni' came to an end on the western coast, the Navy is once gearing up to launch wargames in the Arabian Sea: this time, with the Russian Navy.

The biennial "Indra'' naval combat exercise between India and Russia will be held in the last week of January, even as Indian warships continue to remain in a high state of operational readiness in the wake of the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai.

Triveni, as was first reported by TOI, witnessed the coming together of several warships from both the western as well as the eastern fleets on the western coast, with significant participation from IAF and Army, at a time when military tensions were at a peak with Pakistan. Though the war rhetoric has died down a little, the Indian armed forces continue to be operationally ready to meet any eventuality.

For the Indra exercise, the Russian flotilla of six warships is being led by the large nuclear-powered missile battle-cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter-the-Great) and also includes destroyer Admiral Vinogradov.

India, in turn, will field a Delhi-class destroyer and a guided-missile frigate, among other warships, for the exercise. "The Russian warships will also make a port call at Goa. This will be the fourth such naval exercise with Russia,'' said an official.

India and Russia, of course, are currently engaged in resolving "outstanding issues'' over the lease of a nuclear-powered submarine and huge cost escalation in aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov's refit.

As earlier reported by TOI, India is likely to pay as much as $2 billion more to get the 44,570-tonne carrier by end-2012, over and above the original $1.5 billion package deal of January 2004 for a fully-refurbished Gorshkov and 16 MiG-29Ks.

Moreover, the defence ministry recently approved the Navy's case for acquisition of 29 more MiG-29Ks for Rs 5,380 crore. These MiG-29Ks will be deployed both on Gorshkov and the 37,500-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier being built at Cochin Shipyard.

The long-standing Indo-Russian defence partnership, which saw India's military imports and tie-ups with Russia exceeding $35 billion since the 1960s, has run into rough weather in recent times.

As a matter of policy, India is now increasingly looking at US -- apart from Israel and France -- to procure high-tech weapons and platforms. But Russia will continue to remain India's largest defence supplier for several years to come, with ongoing contracts and projects in the pipeline worth well over $15 billion.