New Delhi, April 18: India and Russia have moved closer in finalising a deal of four advanced warships for the Indian Navy.  India has finalised the price for two of the naval vessels which are to be bought directly from Russia at $1.1 billion, while the price negotiations for the remaining two warships which are to be manufactured at Goa Shipyard under ‘Make in India’ model is under progress, reported India Today. The Defence Ministry is trying to conclude the deal at the earliest.

The four state-of-art warships to be inducted by the Indian Navy will enhance its capabilities as these naval vessels will be equipped with the Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles. Russian material is to be supplied to the Goa Shipyards at around USD 200 million after defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Russia visit. The Indian negotiators will also get 18 per cent discount in the contract, India Today cited government sources. The first two frigates will be built in Yantar Shipyard, in Kaliningrad, Russia, while the remaining two will be built in Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).

A Russian team had come for price negotiations during the DefExpo 2018 held in Chennai. The discussions were also held in New Delhi in the last two days, reported India Today The defence minister visited Russia earlier this month. Multiple military programmes were discussed during the meeting.

The Indian Navy will operate 10 Krivak III class frigates. Six warships of Krivak class are already in service. The first three warships were inducted between June 2003 and April 2004, while the next group of three warships was inducted between April 2012 and June 2013. The price of the two warships to be manufactured in Goa is expected to finalise in the next couple of months.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2018 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).