India, Sweden To Co-operate in Defense, Energy Sectors

India, Sweden To Co-operate in Defense, Energy Sectors


India and Sweden have decided to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas ranging from defence to energy. The decision was made today during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and visiting Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.According to sources, leading a five-member delegation, including a Swedish Colonel, Bildt is here to bolster Stockholm’s chances in the defence deals—the Swedish SWS Bofors 155 mm .52 calibre guns for the Army and the JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft by Saab Avionics for the IAF.As part of its modernisation and upgradation programme in the 11th Plan, the Army had tendered for 400 towed guns. Mobility tests conducted in different theatres and weather conditions clearly made Bofors emerge as a single vendor in the towed category tests using standard ammunition. The Army is said to have asked for validation tests using non-standard ammunition as both Bofors and Soltam floundered in the tests conducted using non-standard ammunition.The 400 guns will equip 20 odd artillery regiments of the Army, which are currently using the vintage 130mm and 155mm with .39 calibre guns. As for the IAF’s contract for the 126 multi-role combat aircraft, Saab’s Gripen competes with Russia’s Rosoboronexport, the European consortium EADS, American firms Boeing and Lockheed-Martin and France’s Dassault. The request for proposal for the contract is in its final stages of being fine-tuned and is expected to be out by the end of this month. Mukherjee briefed the Swedish Minister on India’s desire to increase and diversify its sources of energy so that India can continue to grow at 9-10 per cent in the future. “The Indo-US negotiations on the civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement came up for discussion,” said the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.Sweden is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. “Sweden said that they are watching the negotiations between India and the US and would be taking their decisions after that. They understand India’s concerns and needs for energy,” the spokesperson added.