Propulsion Components The Soviet space enterprise Glavkosmos
and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) opened negotiations in
1988 for the sale of Russian cryogenic rocket engines for use in India's
space launch vehicle program. In 1991, Glavkosmos agreed to sell
two KVD-1/KVD-7.5 liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engines to ISRO and to
transfer critical technology for manufacturing cryogenic engines.[1] The
sale price in this original deal was $250 million.[2] The United
States voiced strong objections to the sale, and particularly to the transfer
of manufacturing technology, which US officials contended would violate
MTCR guidelines, which Russia had agreed to adhere to after the dissolution
of the Soviet Union but had not yet formally accepted. Consequently,
in May 1992, the United States applied trade sanctions to Glavkosmos and
ISRO.[3] Russia claimed that the US sanctions were motivated by commercial
competition rather than nonproliferation; in the words of Glavkosmos spokesman
Nikolay Semenov, "Behind [the US action] lies the simple desire to destroy
the Russian space industry, [which is] highly competitive on international
markets."[4] Nevertheless, Russia signed the MTCR in September 1993, and
in December 1993 Glavkosmos agreed to cancel the technology transfer provisions
of the cryogenic engine deal, agreeing instead to sell four finished flight
stages, two engine mockups for ground testing, and test
equipment, with a provision for the sale of three additional engines.
[5,6,7,8] By that time, however, most of the technology which gave rise
to missile proliferation concerns may have already been transferred. (See
the entry on training and know-how.)
India exercised its option to buy the three additional engines specified
in the 1993 agreement in March 1995.[9,10] The first finished stage, developed
at the Khrunichev State Space Science Production Center, was originally
scheduled for delivery by late 1996, but was not received until September
1998, and is scheduled for launch as the fourth stage of India's Geostationary
Space Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in 1999.[11,12] Sources: [1] "GSLV," Federation of American Scientists Space Policy
Project website, http://www.fas.org/spp/guide/india/launch/gslv.htm. [2] "Moscow Affirms It Will Deliver
Key Rocket Technology to India," New York Times, 7 May 1992, p.
A7. [3] "Transfer of Russian
Missile Technology to India Leads to US Trade Sanctions," Wall Street
Journal, 12 May 1992, p. A18. [4] Reuters, 12 May 1998; in "Russia Calls U.S. Sanctions
over Rocket Deal Unfair," Nonproliferation Network News, 13 May
1998. [5] Andrey Kozyrev and Yuriy Koptev, Novoye vremya,
14 September 1993, pp. 20-21; in "Kozyrev, Koptev, On Rocket Export Policy,"
JPRS-TND-93-031. [6] Interfax, 30 December 1993; in "India to Receive
4 Cryogenic Boosters for Rocket," FBIS-SOV-93-249. [7] Rossiyskiye vesti, 4 January 1994; in "Provisions
of New Cryogenic Deal with India Outlined," FBIS-SOV-94-002. [8] Vladimir Radyuhin, The Hindu, 6 January 1994,
p. 1; in "Russia-India Cryogenic Rocket Deal Reported 'Regnegotiated',"
JPRS-TND-94-005. [9] "India Increases Order for Cryogenic Engines," Space
News, 13 March 1995, p. 2. [10] Interfax, 21 April 1995; in "Russia to Supply Cryogenic
Boosters to India As Agreed," FBIS-SOV-95-079. [11] Anatoliy Nedayvod, Krasnaya zvezda, 27 April
1996; in "Khrunichev Center's General Designer Interviewed," FBIS-UST-96-018. [12] Leonid Kotov, ITAR-TASS, 24 September 1998; in "India
Gets 1st Russian Cryogenic Missile Engine," FBIS-SOV-98-268. {entered 10/9/98
FW}
To return to the main
Missile Exports to India entry, see the 