Indian Company Wants Cooperation With Russia to Manufacture Nuclear Subs

An Indian company reportedly seeks partnership with Russia to locally manufacture nuclear submarines and stealth warships.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Indian company Reliance Infrastructure seeks partnership with Russia to locally manufacture nuclear submarines and stealth warships, the Economic Times newspaper reported Friday.

The company's executives are now in Moscow, according to the newspaper. They have already met senior officials in Russia's Defense Ministry, and are also likely to meet Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and name a desirable Russian partner.

According to the newspaper, Reliance Infrastructure and the Russian Defense Ministry have been negotiating the building of six modern conventional submarines at India's Pipavav Defense, country's largest defense shipyard, through technology transfer from Russia.

The Russian government was open to talks with Indian partners "on various projects,' the newspaper said citing Sergei Karmalito, the Senior Counselor of the Russian Embassy in India.

The initiative is related to Make In India project launched in 2014. Through this program India plans to attract financing to 25 sectors of the economy, with 100 percent direct foreign investments allowed in most areas.

In January, India's Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar invited Russian defense enterprises to participate in the program.