Russia to Permit Chinese Sale of RD-93 Fighter Jet Engines to Pakistan

In what could cause concern to India, Russia has reportedly permitted China to re-export its RD-93 fighter engines to Pakistan.”This permission will enable the supply of 150 Chinese JF-17 fighter aircrafts to Pakistan, and help implement the contract for the supply of Russian engines worth USD 238 million,” Russian daily ‘Kommersant’ reported today.Quoting a Kremlin official, the daily said said that Russia and China have agreed on the joint assembly of JF-17 fighter aircraft with RD-93 engines, and their supply to third countries.RD-93 engines were initially developed by Russia for modernisation of MiG-29 frontline fighters. According to Kommersant, under the Sino-Russian Fighter Assembly Agreement, third countries include Pakistan and a range of other countries in South-East Asia and in Africa, where “China has been traditionally strong”.”The transaction with the Chinese was supervised personally by Putin himself and he personally signed the documents permitting this,” a senior source in the Russian Presidential Administration was quoted as saying the daily.It, however, clarified that although all the concerned agencies including Defence Ministry and Rosoboronexport have approved the engine deal but the permission does not imply Pakistan’s inclusion in the list of countries with which Russia has direct military-technical cooperation.”What we are talking about is one individual contract,” an unnamed senior Kremlin was quoted by the daily. Press Counsellor of the Indian Embassy in Moscow Ramesh Chandra told Kommersant that “the Embassy was not aware” of the permission for re-export.