Russian Akula 2 nuclear submarine leased to India -reports

[Vehl]

MOSCOW, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Russia has handed a new nuclear-powered submarine over to India for a 10-year lease, Russian news agencies reported on Friday, two years after an accident during testing killed 20 people.

The Nerpa, under the command of an Indian crew, left its base on Russia's Pacific coast earlier this week, bound for an Indian naval base, Interfax news agency quoted a source in Russia's military-industrial complex as saying.

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Quoting its source in the fleet, RIA said that since January the Nerpa had made a voyage to Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, after which the plant that built it and other specialists "reduced its underwater noise to a minimum".

He also said the vessel's manoeuvrability deep underwater had been improved. "After the nuclear submarine was brought in line with all Western standards, a submarine crew arrived from India," he said.

India, Russia's close economic and political partner since Soviet days, accounted for a quarter of Moscow's arms exports last year, according to estimates by the Centre for Analysts of Strategies and Technologies, a Moscow-based defence think-tank. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Peter Graff)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE67J0GL

Its rare for Russia to lease a nuclear Submarine, especially its newer Akula 2 improved versions to other countries. But with more and more Russian defense projects being partly/significantly bankrolled by India, and due to the nearly 50 year long ties those two countries have together, I see this as another piece in the undeclared China-India cold war that has been going on for a while now.

China tries to get bases on south east Asia which is its vulnerable underbelly(due to the oil shipping lanes to China) while india on the other hand tries to implement its mere-nostrom policy in the Indian ocean.

The Akula 2 would almost definitely be used by India to further develop its own class of nuclear Submarines..the first of which was launched last year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arihant_class_submarine

Interestingly in the past decade India almost always replaces the avionics/electronics that come with Russian weapons systems with western and/or Indian made ones. The same goes for the new Russian Pak Fa 5th generation fighter...the Indian version of it will have American/french/Israeli/Indian electronics. Russia and India have a lot of joint defense projects and developments going on right now.

This undeclared competition between China and India is probably one of the most significant developments in south/east Asian geopolitics..yet probably one of the least reported as well.



some more related developments in this region

Russia offered India a stake in one of the world's largest uranium fields
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Russia-offers-India-uranium-field-stake-Agencies/articleshow/5687565.cms


India, Mongolia ink uranium supply pact, four other agreements

snip:India and Mongolia on Monday signed five bilateral agreements, including one on uranium supply after talks between visiting Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj and Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

India also announced a soft loan of 25 million dollars to the Central Asian country.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/india-mongolia-ink-uranium-supply-pact-four-other-agreements_100247300.html

India also opened it first foreign Military and Air force Base in the central Asian nation of Tajikistan in 2004
http://dailylark.blogspot.com/2008/01/farkhor-indian-air-force-base-in.html


Currently China and India vie for resources and trade from Africa.

Why China Wins Africa Game
http://the-diplomat.com/2010/07/17/why-china-wins-africa-game/

[GSLevel9]

1. time to invest in the Global Military Industrial Complex...

:sarcasm:

[Vehl]

2. The irony is

Most Asian countries are leery of buying from the American defense companies for the reason that they come with a lot of "fine print"
The recent Indian purchase of a Marine transport ship from America caused a huge furor when it was revealed that part of the agreement was that it will be only used for "defensive" purchases.

people wonder if "defensive" wars are the likes of Iraqi and afghan invasions which were kinda explained away as 'defensive" wars.