India refuses delivery of Sukhoi jets...

India is refusing to accept any new Sukhoi's due to poor engine reliability,
and may scrap their entire $5 billion contract with Russia....



http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsAr...toryID=3988277

India Rejects Russian Jets-Paper
Sun December 14, 2003 03:10 AM ET

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has refused to accept a new batch of Russian
Sukhoi combat jets because of a high rate of engine failure in earlier
batches bought as part of one of the country's largest arms deals, a
newspaper said on Sunday.
The Sunday Express reported the air force had also suggested to the Indian
defense ministry to stop further payments to Rosvooruzheniye, Russia's state
arms exporter. The deal to buy the fighters and make dozens more under
license is estimated to be worth about $5 billion.

An Indian defense ministry spokesman declined to comment on the report.

India is estimated to have 28 Sukhois according to "The Military Balance
2002-2003," published by the London-based International Institute for
Strategic Studies.

Russia sent a fresh batch of the multi-role fighter jets to a base in
western India but the air force decided not to accept them until engine
problems in Sukhois already delivered were fixed, the Express reported
quoting defense sources.

It said the aircraft had an engine life of about 300 flying hours between
overhauls but many engines failed before this.

Russia is India's largest arms supplier and New Delhi signed a $1.8 billion
deal in 1996 to buy up to 50 Sukhois. The first aircraft were delivered in
1997 and the entire lot is expected to be in service by 2005.

New Delhi signed a deal in 2000 estimated to be worth $3.3 billion, in which
140 Sukhois would be built under license in India.

The Sukhoi is the newest aircraft in the Indian air force, which largely
depends on aging Russian MiGs and has embarked upon a slow process of
modernization.