Russia has alternatives to Stryker armoured vehicles that come without any conditionalities, unlike Western defence equipment that has strings attached, an Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran has said.
Remarks of Group Captain (Retd)
Uttam Kumar Devnath come amid India's strained ties with Canada that have resulted in an impasse in talks
for the supply of Stryker armoured vehicles to the world's largest democratic state.
Since independence, India has procured the majority of its weapons systems from Russia and the biggest reason behind this was Moscow's attitude towards these defence contracts, Devnath emphasised in a conversation with Sputnik India on Thursday.
The Indian Army has used the Russian-made
infantry combat vehicle (ICV) BMP-1 and BMP-2, Devnath highlighted. Subsequently, India manufactured the advanced version of the BMP-2 ICV codenamed Sharath, transforming it into an
amphibious vehicle in 2022.
However, in the past few decades, India has acquired military equipment from Western sovereign states like the US and France. The acquisition of American Stryker armoured vehicles produced in Canada's Ontario is important for the Indian Army, he pointed out, and many mechanised infantry battalions of the Indian Army need modernisation.
This is why the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is planning to ink a contract to procure 500 new Stryker armoured vehicles from the US-based General Dynamics Land Systems, the strategic affairs analyst noted.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused India of interfering in their domestic affairs, without offering any kind of solid proof, he asserted. Strangely, Trudeau himself has admitted that his administration hasn't shared any concrete evidence related to Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing, which he says was carried out by the agents of the Indian government. This has strained relations in every domain, including military ties, he said.
Hence, if required India may stop procuring critical and strategically important defence hardware from the West, and would rather prefer to buy such military equipment from the longtime trusted countries, like Russia because it has been a reliable partner and has never interfered politically in India's matters, Devnath asserted.
The way the West is making false allegations on India sans evidences and the way it has become a breeding ground for anti-India activities in the last decade, the defence deals between India and the West can be in jeopardy as India certainly
at some point in the future could decide against doing business with such nations which endanger India's security and sovereignty,
Lt. Colonel (Retd) J.S. Sodhi echoed
.The Indian-Russian friendship should be strengthened further, he asserted.
Devnath mentioned that India is seeking a multi-wheeled armoured vehicle that can withstand a hit from at least 30 mm cannons and should be equipped with an anti-tank guided missile carrier in addition to having the capability to
tackle the threat of anti-tank mines.
For example, Rajasthan's Thar desert and the high peaks of the Himalayas require Russian armoured personnel carriers to operate in temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius and -20 degrees Celsius. This would mean that the ICV has to be tweaked according to the requirements of India's army, he suggested.
Also, the vehicle should offer 360-degree visibility to the driver and other combatants sitting inside it.