The Russians are pitching the MiG-35 into the 126-fighter competition. S. Raghotham spoke to Viktor Komardin, Deputy Director General, Rosoboronexport State Corporation, at Aero India 2007. Komardin says that technically, all competing fighters are more or less the same. It would be the political and economic package that would determine the winner.
(An abridged version of this interview was first published in Vijay Times, 8 February 2007).
Mr Komardin, let’s talk about your pitch for the IAF’s 126 fighter jet deal. This is the first time that Russia is facing competition for an Indian order. All these decades you have had close to a free run in Indian aircraft deals. Is that the reason why you brought the MiG-35 into contention?
No, no, no. The requirement given to us was for a light aircraft. So, we looked around for the best light aircraft we could offer. Sukhoi was out of the question, so we decided on the MiG-35. It is a new aircraft, has a new radar, etc. The MiG-35 is the ‘‘youngest fighter aircraft’’ in the competition for the Indian order. It is still being developed. Since it is new, we will put in all the latest technologies into it.
Gripen has said that if it wins the order, it will give India everything it has, right upto the source code for the mission computer. How do you plan to match that offer?
Firstly, in an order of this magnitude – the IAF 126-jet deal will be the biggest for a generation – the technical aspects are only one part of the story. We think it is not even the most significant part because technically, all the aircraft are equally good – there might be some negligible differences in parameters. But the more important aspect is the economic package – the offsets. The Indian industry is familiar with Russian, and with even French and British, industrial facilities and ways of working. The Indian technicians and engineers know what they will get as part of the offset and they know they can work with it. But that’s not the situation if India goes in for new aircraft from new suppliers. To take advantage of any offset they may offer, India will have to incur much additional expense.
Even more important is the political aspect. If the legislature in the supplier country has to decide every year whether or not to approve the sales and supplies, then you are going to be in big trouble. Such suppliers are not reliable. So far as Gripen is concerned, the JAS 39 uses General Electric engines, so it suffers from the same problem of reliability.
Right, but since the political aspect is so important, the fact of the matter is that India is seeking to move ever closer to the United States and a large jet order favouring American companies might just give that relationship that extra push. If Indian political calculation is such, don’t you think Russia will be the loser in this competition?
No, no, no. You have to understand this relationship better. It is not India that is seeking to move closer to the US, it is the US that wants to move closer to India. The US needs India. It is India that is looking very attractive now. The Americans imposed sanctions at one time, now they have removed the sanctions. So, it is true that India and America are moving closer to each other, but you have to understand this relationship in the right perspective and then factor it into your calculations when you place the order for the jets.
