NEW DELHI: Rosoboronservice India (ROS-I), a company especially created to address the Indian Navy's concerns about poor availability of Russian origin spares, has offered to provide life-cycle support to submarines, frigates and helicopters.

Special decree

Created through a special decree by President Vladimir Putin, the company's service centre for Kamov helicopters is in the final stages of finalisation. With 70 per cent of the Indian Navy's assets estimated to be of Russian origin, Mr. Putin permitted eight companies to form a joint venture with an Indian firm to address complaints of poor maintenance support.

ROS-I has also offered to be the Navy's holding arm for 120 frequently failing items, which could take from six months to one year to procure from the original manufacturers. Even as a part is repaired, ROS (I) will replace it with one from the stores to reduce asset unavailability.

"The terms belie the fear that creation of another layer of cost for the supply of such equipment," ROS (I) managing director V.G. Jayaprakasan told newsmen here.

MoUs signed

Besides the nine companies as founding partners, ROS (I) has signed memoranda of understanding with 14 Russian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including Illyushin, Kamov, shipbuilders Baltiysky Zavod and submarine refitters Zvezdochka.

They have been asked to put up equipment specific diagnostic stands at their cost for evaluating Indian naval equipment before and after repairs.

"In three to four years, India will have a fully established service centre for hi-tech equipment," said Cmdr (retd.) Jayaprakasan. "We hope to eventually reutilise the skills of at least 2,000 former defence personnel."

Rosoboronexport, sole intermediary agency for Russian military exports and founding member, has provided an interest-free loan to ROS (I) and done away with the usual practice of collecting 20 per cent advance without bank guarantee, says L.V. Strugov, head of the Russian Shipbuilding Industry Administration.

ROS (I) is already involved with the Indian Navy, intervening with the OEMs to repair free of cost crucial equipment aboard a new naval acquisition though the extended warranty has expired. It also supplied especially treated steel for India's first indigenous aircraft carrier and will be the prime for several other vessels which need not go to Russia for repairs, says Commodore (retd.) H.S. Kang, ROS (I) chief executive officer.

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