Letters: Don't scrap the deal

Apropos Ajai Shukla's column "The ghost of Gorshkov" (July 21). The columnist's suggestion of going for indigenous production of frigates is welcome. But the suggestion of scrapping the deal with Russia over frivolous reasons is unacceptable. Shukla says the engines for the Russian-made frigates are from Ukraine and may not be delivered to India as Ukraine refuses to sell it to Russia. It is unlikely that Russia will deliver only the hulls - and not the engines - as its domestic manufacturers have already started supplying engines to frigates for the country's navy. In continuation of this issue, the Project 17-A frigate's engine is not indigenous and is supplied by General Electric, the company that refused to transfer technology in the crucial stage of the light combat aircraft project, delaying it perpetually. It is high time the Indian defence establishment strengthened its ties with Russia and thwarted China's new-found equation with that country.

M Natarajan Chennai

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