New Delhi, Nov. 29: An India-Russia committee on military technical cooperation began talks today on the eve of Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov?s scheduled visit to New Delhi.

The Indian side is understood to have sought clarifications from the Russians on the supply of MiG-29K fighter aircraft contracted earlier this year as part of the package of military equipment to be procured along with the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also due to visit India soon.

Defence ministry sources said the Indo-Russian Inter Governmental Committee on Military and Technical Cooperation would discuss, among other issues, the cost of upgrading TU-154 long-range maritime surveillance aircraft.

Today?s deliberations here covered ship-building, naval aviation and land systems.

The Indian government in January contracted 16 MiG-29K fighters to be based on the Gorshkov but subsequent changes in the management of the Russian company MiG Corporation have prompted questions from New Delhi. India has concerns over the schedule of supplies because of the company?s resource crunch.

The Russians replaced MiG?s general director Valery Torjanin with the chief of Irkutsk, Alexei Fedorov, in September this year. Irkutsk is the supplier of Sukhoi 30 fighter aircraft to the Indian Air Force.

The Russians are also understood to be pushing an upgradation programme for the Indian Navy?s TU-154 aircraft.

But India has been keen on undertaking the programme through an understanding that will also involve Israel. Moscow has been reluctant to enter into a tripartite arrangement.

The Indian side at the talks today was led by H.V. Gupta, additional secretary, defence production, and the Russian team was led by Y.I. Koptev, director, department of military industry.

Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee is slated to meet his Russian counterpart Ivanov tomorrow.