DELHI. March 2 (Interfax) - Delhi hopes to sign a package of military contracts with Moscow soon, hoping the deal will make Russia India's leading arms supplier.
Positive trends can be seen in many aspects of Indian-Russian cooperation. Cooperation in defense is the only visible part. If the planned agreements are signed, Russia will top the list of India's foreign defense weapons suppliers, a high-placed Indian diplomat told Interfax on Tuesday.
Three major defense contracts, and an agreement to deliver at least a dozen nuclear reactors to India are expected to be signed during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to India, he said.
Putin himself announced that he was planning to visit India in the first half of March.
The Indian Defense Ministry is finished with the talks on prices for the repair of the Admiral Gorshkov heavy aircraft carrier, renamed Vikramaditya, the diplomat said.
India and Russia also plan to set up a joint venture to develop and make the MTA Russian-Indian new-generation military transport plane, and to sign a general agreement to jointly develop a fifth generation fighter jet, he said.
Delhi is confident that the talks on the purchase of an additional batch of Russian Mikoyan MiG-29K carrier fighters will be a success, the Indian diplomat said. India is currently equipping the navy with 16 MiG-29K fighters that were part of the Admiral Gorshkov package deal, he said.