Saint-Petersburg. June 25. INTERFAX-Russia and India continue to discuss the supply of six Ka-31 radar patrol helicopters, the press secretary of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of the Russian Federation, Valeria Reshetnikova, told Interfax.
"This issue is under discussion," Reshetnikova said at the International Naval Salon in St. Petersburg, answering the agency's question about the timing of signing a contract with India for the Ka-31 batch.
In August last year, the FSVTS announced that they expect to conclude a contract for 6 Ka-31 helicopters by the end of 2020.
In February 2021, the deputy head of the department, Vladimir Drozhzhov, told Interfax that the signing of several contracts with India, including for Ka-31 helicopters, was postponed due to the coronavirus.
"The delay in concluding contracts for this aircraft, according to our assessment, is primarily due to the spread of coronavirus infection. The lack of regular flights between the countries until recently made it significantly difficult to conduct contract negotiations. Nevertheless, the negotiation process is underway, " Drozhzhov said.
On March 16, 2020, the head of the Federal Customs Service of Russia, Dmitry Shugaev, said in an interview with Interfax that India had approached Russia about an additional supply of Ka-31 marine helicopters.
Earlier, the press service of the Russian Helicopters holding company reported that a total of 14 Ka-31 helicopters were produced for India. The machines that had exhausted their life in 2015 were undergoing major repairs at the holding company's enterprise in Kumertau, after which they were returned to India.
A special base has been created in Goa for the maintenance of these helicopters.
The Ka-31 helicopter is designed for radar surveillance of air and surface space, early detection of surface ships, as well as low-flying air targets at distant borders (cruise missiles, helicopters, airplanes).
