Charles R. Smith
Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001

Russia has offered to sell India a large package of weapons reportedly worth $8 billion. The Russian weapons deal includes 140 Sukhoi SU-30 strike fighters, 300 T-90 battle tanks, and a pledge to build a new 2,000-megawatt nuclear reactor at Kundankulam, Tamil Nadu.

The deal to erect the nuclear power plant was cleared by Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. objections. The nuclear power plant is slated to be completed by 2008.

Russia has already completed a major weapons deal with India to turn over the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov for $2 billion. The carrier deal includes 20 naval MiG-29K fighter jets and Ka-31 helicopters.

Russia has also offered four TU-22M Backfire bombers to the Indian navy for maritime strikes. The supersonic TU-22M Backfire is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and can launch the latest Russian cruise missiles including the SS-N-26 Yahont and SS-N-22 Sunburn.

The new offer to sell arms to India comes after quiet admissions from Moscow that Russian engineers have been testing the remains of a downed U.S. Air Force F-117 stealth fighter. Serb forces shot down the F-117 in 1999 during the Kosovo air campaign.

Russia Using F-117 Wreckage for Anti-Stealth

Senior Russian aerospace officials admitted that the F-117 was being used to test new anti-stealth technology and advanced missiles designed to shoot down U.S. aircraft. Russian researchers are testing components of a new air defense system against the F-117 remains.

The Russian anti-stealth tests include radio frequency seekers from surface-to-air missiles and proximity fuses for missile warheads.

In addition, a small number of Russian tactical aircraft have been modified with low-observable stealth technology in order to conduct airborne tests against the new air defense systems.

Russian missile makers Antey Industrial Corp. and the Almaz Central Design Bureau are using the F-117 and modified Russian-made stealth aircraft to test components for the next generation of Russian Surface to Air Missiles (SAMs).

The new lineup of weapons includes updated versions of the SA-10 and SA-20 missiles. In addition, Antey has developed an upgraded version of its SA-12 anti-missile system. The next generation of Antey and Almaz missiles reportedly can shoot down targets up to 250 miles away.

Almaz engineers claim its S-300PMU-2 system can locate and destroy stealth targets up to 60 miles away. Almaz is currently trying to sell the S-300PMU-2 to China.

China currently produces the Almaz SA-10 missile under contract as the HQ-9. The China National Precision Machinery Corp. also produces a variant of the Almaz SA-10 as the FT-2000. The FT-2000 is designed to engage and destroy U.S.-made AWACs and EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft.

New Russian Military Satellites

Russian's military space program has also started to show signs of new life. Russia orbited three Glonass military navigation satellites, bringing the system to one-third its originally intended size. The new satellites were launched Dec. 1 from Baikonur Cosmodrome on top of a Khrunichev Proton K booster.

Two of the new satellites were the original Russian design, which dates to the 1980s. The third satellite is an upgraded version designed for longer life. The Glonass system is intended to provide the Russian military positioning data with a 33-foot accuracy.

The new Russian navigation satellites follow two other recent military launches of an advanced communications satellite and a new imaging reconnaissance satellite. The Russian imaging satellite is reportedly covering Chechnya and is currently positioned along the southern border of Russia.

The Russian space efforts came directly after a second test of a new warhead for the SS-27 TOPOL missile. The new warhead is reported to be a nuclear-armed supersonic ramjet, or Scramjet, capable of avoiding U.S.-designed anti-ballistic missiles. The recent successful SS-27 test showed the Scramjet warhead was able to fly at high speeds in the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

Russian Navy

While the Russian missile and space forces continue to be upgraded, the Russian navy continues to lag far behind. The Russian navy has finally replaced the 37-year-old cruiser Admiral Golovko as the Black Sea Feet flagship. The new flagship, the Slava-class cruiser Moskva, recently visited France.

Three other Slava-class cruisers have been completed but only two remain in active Russian navy service. The fourth Slava remains under construction, with no date for completion scheduled.

The never-completed Russian aircraft carrier Varyag is now making its way to China. The carrier, dubbed the "non-flying Dutchman," had been sailing in circles for 16 months inside the Black Sea while the Turkish and Chinese governments wrangled over her passage through the Dardenelles.

In October, the Chinese government finally agreed to pay for any damages the ship may cause in Turkish waters. The ship was then towed through the Dardenelles after a journey from Ukraine.

However, the carrier broke loose from her tow for a time during passage in the Aegean Sea and was adrift until commercial crews could re-establish a towline.

Early reports that China was planning to complete the carrier's construction are proving to be false. The Varyag has been stripped of all her weapons, sensors, cabling and power plants.

Close inspection of the warship showed that even the hull plating forward at the waterline had been removed and crudely patched. China plans to turn the rusting hulk into a floating casino.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

China/Taiwan

Russia