News reports in some Russian portals suggesting that India breached the contract by allowing a US Navy technical crew onboard nuclear powered submarine INS Chakra have led to a controversy. While there was no official reaction by the Government here, sources in the Defence Ministry said the report was wrong and the US crew was not allowed on the submarine manufactured by Russia.
India has taken this Akula class submarine on a 10-year lease and the Russian portals claimed allowing the US crew on the submarine last week in Visakhapatnam was against the contractual agreement. Denying the report, sources said here on Friday adding Russian personnel are posted in Visakhapatnam naval base to help maintain and operate the submarine.
Sources also said the timing of the news report was strange as it comes a month ahead of the visit of the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. Both the countries are likely to finalise the terms of the lease for another Russian nuclear submarine of the same class.
Russia and India last year arrived at an agreement for the Indian Navy to acquire the submarine for approximately US $2 billion. The likely induction of that submarine will coincide with the INS Chakra's lease ending and returning to Russia.
A 14-member team of US delegates of the India-US Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Co-operation had visited some Indian naval bases last week. They also visited the Russian built aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and sources termed it routine and did not involved transfer of any classified information about the warship.