New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) The Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, will be in Russia for three days beginning Friday to review the joint projects for a fifth generation combat plane and a medium transport aircraft, apart from attending an air show to mark that nation's air force's centenary.

Browne, who left for Moscow Thursday, is also scheduled to meet the Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Viktor Bondarev during the visit.

'The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief left on a three-day visit to Russia, which is hosting a Russian Air Force Centenary Air Show at Moscow, to mark 100 years of the Russian Air Force,' an IAF release said here.

'During the visit, the air chief is scheduled to meet the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, and attend the international military conference 'Common Sky' besides visiting the Zhukovsky airfield for familiarisation with the fifth general fighter aircraft (FGFA) and Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme,' it added.

He is also slated to visit Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) MiG and Rosoboronexport, the organisations in Russia that deal with defence ties and sale of defence equipment.

India and Russia enjoy robust military ties, with nearly 70 percent of the Indian military equipment coming from the Russian stable. The two nations have moved from a buyer-seller relationship in the second half of the 20th century to a joint developers' relationship in military ties.

The FGFA and MTA, for which joint development deals were formalised in December 2008 are the latest that symbolise the changing dynamics of their defence ties in recent years.

--Indo-Asian News Service

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