Russia to share military technology with Cuba

Russia to help Cuba with production of rifle ammunition

MOSCOW, November 30 (RIA Novosti)

According to a source in the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, cited by Kommersant, an assembly line for 7.62-mm rounds used in Kalashnikov assault rifles and other Russian-made rifles will be built at Cuba’s Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara military plant.

The source said that Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport had already prepared a contract, which includes the license and technology transfer.

The official did not specify the value of the contract but said Russia was hoping to receive a contract in the future on a complete overhaul of rifle ammunition production facilities in Cuba, which were built in 1970s-1980s with the help of Soviet specialists.

A Rosoboronexport source has confirmed the planned contract with Cuba but refused to provide more details on the subject, Kommersant said.

Although the Cuban leadership has repeatedly said it has no intention of resuming military cooperation with Russia after the surprise closure of the Russian electronic listening post in Lourdes in 2001, bilateral military ties seem to have been improving since 2008.

Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov said during his visit to Cuba in 2009 that modernization of the Soviet-made military equipment and training of Cuban military personnel will be the focus of Russian-Cuban military cooperation in the future.

Russia denies allegations over Indian T-90 tank contract

NEW DELHI, November 30 (RIA Novosti)

“The Russian side is timely and completely fulfilling all agreements with India on the licensed production of T-90 tanks, including the delivery of all necessary components and the transfer of technical documentation,” the source said on Tuesday.

India’s Business Standard said on November 28 that the licensed production of T-90 tanks was “hamstrung by Moscow’s obstruction in transferring technology and the Russian-built assemblies needed even for the India-built tanks.”

“It is difficult to say why these allegations have emerged,” the Russian source said, adding that all controversial issues on the arms contracts with India are promptly resolved by the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation.

Russian diplomatic sources in India believe that the media rumors reflect the attempts by the Indian side to shift the responsibility for its own inability to manage the production of sophisticated military equipment.

India ordered 310 T-90s in 2001 following delays in the manufacturing of the indigenous Arjun main battle tank and Pakistan's decision to purchase the T-80 from Ukraine. A contract was also signed for the licensed production of another 1,000 T-90s.

Initial disagreements with Russia over transfer of technology were resolved at the end of 2008, according to official statements on both sides.

Only 150 T-90S have been built so far at the Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF) in Avadi, Chennai.

According to other publications in the Indian media, a slow rate of production has been caused by the failure of some Indian sub-contractors to fulfill their obligations under the contract.

03:28 30/11/2011ALL NEWS

MOSCOW, November 30 (Itar-Tass) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has made an entry in his microblog in the Twitter social network about the commissioning of the Voronezh-DM-class radar as part of the missile warning system in Kaliningrad Region. "The radar in Kaliningrad has been made operational," the entry reads.

The radar went on duty earlier than planned on Tuesday following Medvedev's statement in connection with the situation concerning the US ABM system in Europe. The President also assigned the Defence Ministry to decide on the remaining outstanding matters relating to the functioning of this radar.

Radars of this series are Russian-made factory-assembled over-the-horizon, long-range warning facilities. They feature a short deployment time at new location and a smaller crew compared with radars of previous generations, as well as redeployment opportunities in case of necessity.

In addition, Voronezh-DM functions in decimal waveband, which provides for higher accuracy. Its energy consumption is lower by 40 percent, and it utilizes less equipment than previous models. The range of Voronezh-dm reaches 6,000 kilometers.

At present, similar facilities are on experimental and combat duty in Armavir and the Leningrad region (village of Lekhtusi). In 2012, another Vornozeh-DM radar will be commissioned in the Irkutsk region.

The Kaliningrad radar was built to improve the missile warning system in Russia's northeastern air/space direction and covers the western sector, which was monitored by the stations in Mukachyovo and Baranovichi in Soviet times.

02:56 30/11/2011ALL NEWS

VLADIVOSTOK, November 30 (Itar-Tass) — The diesel-powered submarine Ust-Kamchatsk joins the Vladivostok-based submarine force of Russia's Pacific Fleet (PF) on Wednesday. This submarine cruiser is to moor at the PF main base here on Wednesday after a long passage from the Large Command of Forces in Russia's north-east. The sub's permanent station will be in Ullis (Ulysses) Bay, the press service of the Eastern Military District reports.

The Ust-Kamchatsk is the first submarine from among a submarine squadron that will arrive at the PF main base within the scope of reforming of submarine forces in Vladivostok and the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Kamchatka-based subnariners will be immediately provided with housing: the fleet command has seen to it that they will be given new apartments in the recently built houses in the area of Snegovoi (snowy) gully in Vladivostok, as well as tied accommodation near the submarines' permanent station in Ulysses Bay.

09:49 30/11/2011ALL NEWS

VLADIVOSTOK, November 30 (Itar-Tass) — The pricing and public procurement system at the Russian Defence Ministry will become more transparent from year to year, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said at a meeting with the workers of the Dalpribor plant in Vladivostok on Wednesday.

“The ministry has to learn to buy, and manufacturers - to justify their prices. Money will not be transferred to the Defence Ministry for no reason, it will have to prove and show why it needs this or that amount. Nobody will be able to hide behind secrecy,” the first deputy prime minister said.

“We have itemise in the country’s budget more than 3 trillion roubles for the state defence order and armaments modernisation program, representatives of other sectors - education, health – have even criticised the government for this,” said Shuvalov. “The president and prime minister have repeatedly emphasised that we have to deal with rearmament. The funds transfer has been started to the production facilities, but the process is complicated.”

The Dalpribor plant specialises in the production of hydro-acoustic equipment. The state order for the Defence Ministry accounts for nearly 90 percent of all its orders. In addition, the company manufactures civilian products - LED technology. In the future it is planned to open the production of wind generators here.  

November 30, 2011 10:23