Russia to transfer its Nerpa nuclear sub to India in autumn 2010

[FarCenter]

Russia will transfer its Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine for a 10 year-lease to India in the autumn, the head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation has said.

"The training of the crew has been concluded, most of the tests have been carried out — everything is almost at the finish line," Mikhail Dmitriyev told journalists in New Delhi after a meeting of the Russian-Indian high-level supervisory committee on military and technical cooperation on Tuesday.

He said India would receive the K-152 Nerpa submarine in October or November 2010.

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Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of all Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Dmitriyev also expressed hope that Russia and India would sign a contract on the joint development of a new fifth-generation fighter within the next three months.

The sides earlier agreed to develop both a single-seat and a two-seat versions of the aircraft, which would be most likely based on Russia's T-50 prototype fifth-generation fighter, by 2016.

<SNIP>http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100602/159262563.html