“Russia is to shortly provide the Indian Government a blueprint of advanced integrated air defence system,” Russian Vice Premier Ilya Klebanov told reporters after signing the pact with Defence Minister Jaswant Singh here.

The advanced air defence system is expected to integrate Indian-developed surface-to-air Akash missiles and Rajendra radars with the elements of “non-strategic missile shield” offered by Russia to Europe and allies as an alternative to the space-based US NMD missile shield.

Russia has also formally offered India a stake in the joint development and production of fifth generation fighter aircraft and is awaiting “tactical and technical” requirements of the Indian Air Force, Mr Klebanov said.

The signing of the accord on bilateral defence cooperation shifts Indo-Russian interaction from the buyer-seller relationship to the track of joint development and production of new generation weapons on a technology-sharing basis.

The Russian Vice-Premier said the Indian and Russian Air Force could get the new generation fighter around 2009 when the US joint strike fighter (JSF) is scheduled to be commissioned.

He also did not rule out the signing of ambitious “Admiral Gorshkov” aircraft carrier deal by the end of this year. The deal will involve over 60 individual contracts including fighters, infrastructure and training, he added.

The bilateral protocol signed by its co-chairmen after the two-day session of the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military, Technical Cooperation will ensure “closer relations and trouble free business” in defence cooperation, Indian Defence Secretary Yogendra Narayan told reporters.

“Russia and India have agreed for joint R and D and production of new high-technology weapons as a new area of cooperation,” he said declining to divulge any further details.

The IGC on defence cooperation was set up during Russian President Putin’s visit to India last October to resolve cropping issues in defence interaction at a higher level and from the Indian side it is co-chaired by the Defence Minister.

Russia has positively responded to India’s grievances in defence cooperation. The two strategic partners have agreed within two months to evolve a “model contract” to expedite new defence deals, evolve a streamlined pricing philosophy’ and make arrangements for “lifetime spares availability” through one-time purchases or setting up servicing and repairs facilities in India by Russia.

India and Russia today also agreed to jointly develop and manufacture a multi-role transport aircraft to replace Soviet-built vintage and aging Antonov aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

A protocol to this effect was signed today by the Chairman of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Mr Krishna Das Nayar, and Deputy Director General of Russia’s arms exporting agency Rosoboronexport, Mr Sergei Chemezov, on the sidelines of the just-concluded session of the Indo-Russian inter-governmental Commission of Military-Technical Cooperation.

Under the agreement that HAL will pool efforts in R and D and production with the leading Russian aircraft designers Ilyushin and Sukhoi to jointly develop and manufacturer the new multi-role IL-214 aircraft to be inducted by the air forces of both countries.

India and Russia are to adopt the European model of cooperation in building the aircraft, wherein equipment built in partner countries are used in the end-product, Defence Secretary Yogendra Narayan told reporters.

The estimated cost of the project would be about $ 300 million and IL-214 would have a range of 5,000 km and speed of 850 km, media reports said.