|
Russia to lease nuclear submarine to India - report
Don't do it ...Russia will lease one of its newest nuclear-powered submarines to India in the second half of this year, Itar-Tass news agency quoted a Russian Defence Ministry official as saying on Tuesday. The submarine to be leased is the Nerpa, which had accident in the Sea of Japan in November 2008 in which 20 people were killed. The Russian military had previously denied media reports that the submarine was to be leased to India. "The lease of the Nerpa nuclear submarine to India for 10 years ... will take place this summer or autumn," the unidentified official told the agency. The Nerpa, armed with conventional weapons, was laid down in 1993 but was launched and started sea trials only in 2008 due to the piecemeal funding of its construction. The submarine "successfully concluded sea trials last December", the Defence Ministry official told Itar-Tass. How do the 20 dead sailors feel about the sea trials? Citing its source, Itar-Tass said the submarine would be Russia, India's close economic and political partner since Soviet days, is one of the world's major arms exporters. It has a fleet of nuclear-powered but conventionally armed submarines besides its strategic nuclear-armed vessels, which are not sold abroad. Posted by: gorb 2010-01-12 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=287789 |