NEW DELHI, India, (BulgarianMilitary.com) – Newfound pressure between the two allies Russia and India has emerged during the meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation held in New Delhi, last Thursday (13th December), when Russia’s Defence Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu voiced his displeasure over India’s decision to disqualify the two Russian munitions systems from its $1.6 billion Army program, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

According to the information confirmed and by a source from the India’s Ministry of Defence, during the last week’s meeting, the Russian Defence Minister made it clear that he was not satisfied with India’s decision to dismiss Russia’s upgraded Tunguska system and the Pantsir missile system from the pending program.

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In 2013, for its gun and missile system program, India listed three companies – South Korea’s Hanwha Defense Systems, which offered its 30mm complex gun and missile air defense system Hybrid Biho that is in service with the South Korean Army; and two Russian companies. Almaz Ante offering its upgraded Tunguska system and KBP Tula with its Pantsir system. In October, this year, the Indian Army announced Hanwha Defense Systems to be the only qualified bidder that meets the requirements of the Indian Army. According to a senior official of the Indian Army, the two Russian systems Tunguska and Panstir were not fully compliant during the conducted trials.

At the meeting in New Delhi, last week, the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu took the opportunity to accuse the Indian Army trial teams of intentionally not completing the full trials conducted last year. According to a Russian diplomat, last month, the two Russian companies and Russia’s Defence Ministry sent separate letters to India’s Ministry of Defence to reevaluate the entire selection process before taking the final decision.

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Under the program, the India’s Armed Forces are seeking to acquire a mix of both gun and missiles that are mounted on one or separate highly mobile vehicles. They require the gun and the missile to be capable to engage aerial targets both with and without the fire control radar, either independently or simultaneously. The offered gun and missile should also feature a day and night camera and a built-in simulator. The gun has to be capable to engage a target at 350 rounds per second, while the missile’s range should be of 5 km. The India’s Army wants a system that can operate up to 50 km on a single fuel tank, with a minimum operation endurance of eight hours without refueling.

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The winner in the $1.6 billion program will be responsible to provide 104 systems of gun missiles systems, including 4,928 missiles and 172,260 rounds of ammunition, as well as full maintenance technology transfer for missiles to state-run Ordnance Factory Board.

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Source: Defense News