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Russia offers Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers to India
According to media sources, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday that Moscow had offered to sell several long-range bombers to India - a deal that would significantly bolster New Delhi's strike capability, news agencies reported.Ivanov said the offer to sell Tu-22M3 bombers to New Delhi was made Tuesday during talks in Moscow with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. India hasn''t yet responded to the offer, he said, according to the ITAR-Tass, Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies. Ivanov said India previously had considered leasing the bombers, but the two sides couldn''t finalize the deal because of "technical reasons" he did not specify. The Soviet-designed Tu-22M3 is capable of carrying long-range cruise missiles at almost twice the speed of sound. India has bought more than US$30 billion (A25 billion) worth of Soviet and Russian arms since 1960. In recent years, it has been second only to China as a buyer of Russian weaponry. Russia and India also conducted joint military maneuvers this year, and are discussing working together on a next-generation fighter jet and a medium-range transport aircraft. Military cooperation figured prominently in Singh's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Posted by: john 2005-12-07 |
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