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Brahmos missile project: India and Russia at loggerheads over IPRs
* Moscow not willing to allow New Delhi to out source missile technology
By Iftikhar Gilani
NEW DELHI: The Indo-Russian Brahmos missile project is in jeopardy, as the two countries have locked horns over the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) pact. Touted as superior to conventional cruise missiles, like the Tomahawk, the BrahMos (a conjunction of the words Brahmaputra and Moskva, names of rivers) with a range of 280 kilometres travels at supersonic speed.
At the core of the dispute is the Russian demand that India will not pass any tactical information on the Russian weapon platforms to third countries. India is not ready to accept the condition as that would prevent upgrading the missile from other countries and bind it to buy from Russia only. The Brahmos is actually based on the Russian Yokhant missile and India provides its inertial navigation system. It has been earmarked for export to “friendly†countries.
Between January and May, Moscow and New Delhi have twice done a back-and-forth on drafting an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) agreement. Russia is India’s largest supplier of military hardware, supplying over 60 percent of equipment to the Indian Armed Forces. But India’s recent attempts to look for supplies from Israel and other countries have made Russians suspicious of New Delhi’s intentions.
The Russians are insisting on signing of a stringent secrecy clause before military relations can be taken to higher levels involving co-production of equipment on the model of the collaboration for the Brahmos missile, said sources. They want these provisions at two levels: firstly, at the level of co-production arrangements for equipment in Indian ordnance factories and secondly, Moscow is also wary of India passing on information of Russian weapons platforms by upgrading them with Israeli technology or from former Soviet Bloc countries such as Uzbekistan.
The ordnance factories often source components from ancillaries in the private or public sector. Moscow is insisting that such arrangements need explicit permission from Russian companies that are original equipment manufacturers.
“We want more flexibility in the agreement,†said Defence Secretary Ajay Vikram Singh said recently. He visited Moscow recently and presented an alternate draft to the Russians. He said that India wanted flexibility to make changes in the equipment to suit its climate and needs. The Russians are not allowing minor modifications like air conditioning of T-90 tanks, necessary to operate them in Rajasthan and Kutch deserts.
Besides Brahmos, Russia’s insistence of involvement in all upgrades of their equipment hits India’s plans to purchase three airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS) from Israel, upgrading 125 MiG-21 and 27 fighters and the Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-5-2005_pg7_1
Looks like they're taking an aweful lot of time resolving this IPR issue! Maybe its just me but I think that in the not-so-distant future, Russia might think twice before letting India get its hands on sensitive Russian tech.
* Moscow not willing to allow New Delhi to out source missile technology
By Iftikhar Gilani
NEW DELHI: The Indo-Russian Brahmos missile project is in jeopardy, as the two countries have locked horns over the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) pact. Touted as superior to conventional cruise missiles, like the Tomahawk, the BrahMos (a conjunction of the words Brahmaputra and Moskva, names of rivers) with a range of 280 kilometres travels at supersonic speed.
At the core of the dispute is the Russian demand that India will not pass any tactical information on the Russian weapon platforms to third countries. India is not ready to accept the condition as that would prevent upgrading the missile from other countries and bind it to buy from Russia only. The Brahmos is actually based on the Russian Yokhant missile and India provides its inertial navigation system. It has been earmarked for export to “friendly†countries.
Between January and May, Moscow and New Delhi have twice done a back-and-forth on drafting an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) agreement. Russia is India’s largest supplier of military hardware, supplying over 60 percent of equipment to the Indian Armed Forces. But India’s recent attempts to look for supplies from Israel and other countries have made Russians suspicious of New Delhi’s intentions.
The Russians are insisting on signing of a stringent secrecy clause before military relations can be taken to higher levels involving co-production of equipment on the model of the collaboration for the Brahmos missile, said sources. They want these provisions at two levels: firstly, at the level of co-production arrangements for equipment in Indian ordnance factories and secondly, Moscow is also wary of India passing on information of Russian weapons platforms by upgrading them with Israeli technology or from former Soviet Bloc countries such as Uzbekistan.
The ordnance factories often source components from ancillaries in the private or public sector. Moscow is insisting that such arrangements need explicit permission from Russian companies that are original equipment manufacturers.
“We want more flexibility in the agreement,†said Defence Secretary Ajay Vikram Singh said recently. He visited Moscow recently and presented an alternate draft to the Russians. He said that India wanted flexibility to make changes in the equipment to suit its climate and needs. The Russians are not allowing minor modifications like air conditioning of T-90 tanks, necessary to operate them in Rajasthan and Kutch deserts.
Besides Brahmos, Russia’s insistence of involvement in all upgrades of their equipment hits India’s plans to purchase three airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS) from Israel, upgrading 125 MiG-21 and 27 fighters and the Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-5-2005_pg7_1
Looks like they're taking an aweful lot of time resolving this IPR issue! Maybe its just me but I think that in the not-so-distant future, Russia might think twice before letting India get its hands on sensitive Russian tech.
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