Russian firm in secret arms deal with Pakistan

A Russian company is supplying Pakistan with sensitive defence technology to "blind" smart weapons guided by the Global Positioning System without an official agreement between the two governments, military industry sources said.

This is seen as a possible violation of Russia's export control norms.

The Russian company VTF, affiliated to Scientific-Research Institute of Telecommunications in the city of Voronezh is supplying the generators for jamming GPS receivers of the smart weapons to Pakistan, according to the local military industry sources.

Pakistan wanted the sensitive technology to protect its key military installations. Pakistani company Trillium Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd is involved in the deal with VTF.

VTF's representatives have frequently visited Pakistan to negotiate the supplies of GPS jammers and radio-interception and control systems used in electronic warfare, defence industry sources told PTI.

Russian GPS jammers first surfaced two years back in Iraq when many US smart weapons missed their targets during massive strikes on key installations of Saddam Hussein's regime, causing a row between Moscow and Washington.

In a bid to tighten Russia's export control regime and hand over its charge to the military from the civilian authorities, Russian President Vladimir Putin last week appointed his close ally Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov as the chairman of the State Export Control Commission.