Delays in advanced defence projects must be excused: Russian envoy

Russia today defended the delays in joint defence projects with India, including the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, saying it should be 'excused' if sophisticated and modern weapons system were what New Delhi wanted.

Though time overruns were 'unfortunate,' the Russian Federation's ambassador to India Alexander M Kadakin said it was the experience in both countries when it came to latest-technology defence projects.

"As far as Admiral Gorshkov is concerned, Indians asked us for a state-of-the-art warship and for such a warship, there is a cost. For a cheap price, you can only purchase a 3-carat diamond.

"Now it will be a modern aircraft carrier and if there is a delay of two or three months for delivery, what difference would it make? If you need a potent warship, these delays have to be excused," Kadakin told reporters on the sidelines of an Indo-Russian army exercise that ended here.

India had flagged the delays in critical defence projects such as Gorshkov during the recent bilateral military technical commission meeting between the defence ministers of the two countries in New Delhi.

Admiral Gorshkov, which India bought from Russia in 2004, is already behind schedule by two years, having been originally scheduled to be delivered after a refit at the Sevmash naval shipyard in Russia in 2008.

Now the 45,000-tonne warship is rescheduled for delivery in end of 2012 or early 2013, though India coughed up US$ 2.33 billion earlier this year after it had bought it for a price of US$ 974 million under the original contract.

Kadakin said such experiences existed in both countries and should be excused when the project involved sophisticated systems.

"Both countries have this experience that without delays we will not get such sophisticated systems. That is why sometimes these kind of delays do happen. It is unfortunate," he said.

Kadakin was replying to a query on delays in major defence projects between India and Russia. The ambassador, however, refused to talk about India getting the Akula-II nuclear-powered submarine from Russia on a 10-year lease.

"Akula, I do not know anything about it. Let's talk about any other submarine, I do not know anything about this particular submarine. India, I know, is also constructing a [nuclear-powered] submarine. About this submarine [Akula], do not ask me anything, I do not know anything," Kadakin said.