All Soviet aircraft were extremely robust and airframes could withstand a lot of aerodynamic punishment. While the aero-engines were powerful, their fuel efficiency was lower than engines of western design. The Sukhoi-7 ground attack aircraft which was the mainstay of the IAF during the 1971 war, had an engine which developed 9600 kgs of thrust with afterburner, but guzzled fuel. In avionics the Soviets lagged behind Western countries. ‘Ergonomics’ as applied to making the cockpit comfortable for the pilot, was not high on the Soviet designers priorities. ‘Tropicalisation’ of the cockpits appeared to be an afterthought in most Soviet aircrafts. In 1970 an IAF doctor’s study revealed that pilots flying the Su-7, on an average lost 1000-1500 gms of body mass after a 1hour flight in summer conditions. The Soviets, however, were willing to make changes to suit Indian requirements. They were quick to respond to operational needs also. In September 1971, the IAF realised that the Su-7 did not have any armament to attack concrete structures. A message was apparently sent to Moscow. On the night of 6/7 December, a transport aircraft unloaded large boxes at Adampur airbase. These boxes contained a number of brand new S-24 rockets which the IAF had not trained with earlier. The necessary literature regarding release conditions and other firing parameters was included. The next morning, a Su-7 aircraft loaded with the S-24 rockets attacked the Sulaimanke barrage on Sutlej river across the border from Fazilka. Many in the IAF came to know about these potent weapons only after the war. Similar such examples can be found in the Army and Navy also when the Soviets went out of their way to extend assistance. The only discordant note would be that it was an entirely one-sided give and take relationship with India always at the receiving end. But it was a warm relationship. Things are a bit different now.
While Russia has been the predominant supplier of arms to India, this level of dependency is not in Indias national interest. The steps in progress to diversify our weapon sources, are steps in the right direction and can be considered to be, one can state with the luxury of hindsight available to us now, the rectification of a six decade old strategic defect.
The fundamental changes in the world balance of forces have had a direct bearing on the India-Russia relations. Russia is struggling to regain its lost status and stature. India strives to emerge as a major player in its own right. Both countries have established or are in the process of establishing new equations with other major players, but in the new world order all the equations are influenced by the only superpower’s omnipresence. In this matrix of relationships the underlying factor is that no country can achieve its objectives in confrontation with the USA. And the USA can be ruthless if challenged.
Russia today has a growth rate of 6-7%, a GDP nearing $ 1.5 trillion and the worlds largest energy reserves including 13% of proven oil finds, 34% of natural gas and 25% of all coals. But because of the perma-frost conditions that obtain, it costs $14 to extract a barrel of oil in Russia as compared to $4 in Kuwait. And Russian economy is over-reliant on extracting energy and other natural resources. With a land mass five times the size of India, Russia has a population of only 142 million and that too is shrinking at the rate of 350,000 every year. Russia is headed for a demographic catastrophe. Russia fears that Siberia and the far east would soon be over-run by migrant Chinese labour and no immediate solutions are in sight.
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