what's your contention, that russia has been a co-operative vendor?
I do not deny that there are issues with Russian venders when it comes to a steady supply of spares and maintainability and escalation of costs. But I think it is an overall symptom of the Russian MIC and how they are adjusting to the post USSR world. They had been under the Soviet model for so long and it has taken them quite some time to adjust to the changing new world. Keep in mind, during the USSR period, India had no problem getting spares from the Soviet MIC vendors. Now, the Russian MIC vendors are finding out the hard way what works and what doesnt work and how to incorporate the hard learned lessons while building processes to satisfy the demands of their customers. It is not a smooth and orderly transition, that is for sure and there are massive corruption involved but I see that as inherent with any transitory movement from one model to another model.
Russia is still seeking to keep India as one of its main partners and customers. Russia has been the first one willing to share its technology and products. Of course Russia doesn't want to give up its know how & know why. What nation doesn't? But Russia still tries to accommodate India's needs and concerns to a vastly greater degree than most or all the rest of the nations.
Examples are Russia providing nuke subs, anti-BM missiles, air defense networks, armor, aviation, naval, etc. It is only recently that India had more access to more advanced technology from US and that is only because US started to change its outlook on India and think of India as a more compliant
junior partner. Russia doesn't from a top view outlook. The problem with Russia is that its vendors don't conform with Russia's upper echelons of strategic thinking towards India. Its vendors are more concerned and focus on money & cash flow than keep its customers happy, i.e., short term thinking vs long term thinking whereas US and western companies may have understood the need of keeping its customers happy. I have some doubt about that because the western companies also engage in price gouging when it comes to spares. I.e., take no further look at the french companies charging a fortune in the Scorpene subs, Mirage upgrades, Honeywell engines upgrade costs (that was a US/British company), and etc. The western companies may be better than their Russian counterparts in keeping the spares supply pipeline running smoothly but the western counterparts have their own drawbacks and those drawbacks are more strategic in nature, such as sanctions and pressure on GoI to change their behavior or risk bricking its hard paid for military products to a degree that it affects the overall military posture.
I am not saying that India should only buy Russian products. I am just saying that India should keep its options open
and available. It is the last part that US has a problem with when it comes to Russia. US is pressuring India very hard to make that Russian option go away and make it totally dependent on US and western companies and therefore be subject to US pressure tactics and conform to US interests and desires completely. This is the one thing that I find totally unacceptable for India and that I strongly advocate India to keeping its Russia options completely open and available. But that comes with a price. It means that India needs to maintain its customer status. Now that doesn't mean that India has to accept what Russia has to offer. India can and should communicate its needs and desires to Russia in a complete and persuasive way. The thing that most indian advocates for US/India relationship keep forgetting is that Russia is ready and willing to oblige India in that aspect. It is just that Russia has a learning period of making that happen.
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