WorldRussia is close to finalising a deal to build helicopters in India, an executive said Tuesday, a move that would boost Narendra Modi's ambitions to manufacture defence hardware locally. India is the world's top defence importer and is seeking to revamp its Soviet-era military equipment against an increasingly assertive China. Russia and India first flagged plans for a joint partnership to build Kamov helicopters -- a twin-engine chopper used for military and civilian purposes -- in 2015. But India has increasingly turned to the United States and France, rather than traditional ally Russia, for its military hardware in recent years. Viktor Kladov from Rostec, the parent company of Rosoboronexport, said the joint venture would be completed in “one to two months”.

Source: Sunday Times February 14, 2017 15:08 UTC