India and Russia have started work on a fifth generation combat plane, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said on Monday.

Indo-Russian defence cooperation is "stable and rapidly", he said in New Delhi on the eve of his departure to Moscow, where he will have a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Two Russia-built frigates have already joined the Indian naval fleet and deals on purchase of Sukhoi-30 MKI jets and their licensed production in India are underway, he said.

Russia has also delivered T-90 tanks to the Indian Army, he said.

"The two countries are committed to maintaining and consolidating bilateral strategic partnership," the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted him as saying.

Defence cooperation, the fight against international terrorism, the situation in Iraq and UN reforms are issues that will figure during the fourth annual summit, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said in a separate interview to ITAR-TASS.

Two documents will be signed relating to cooperation in science and technology, he said.

As far as bilateral issues are concerned, "focus will be on assessing our trade and investment relations and discussing measures taken in the recent past to impart a thrust to them", Sinha said.