U.S. National Accused Of Sending Military Blueprints to India

Washington: A U.S. defence contractor pleaded guilty to having illegally sent blueprints of military hardware to India, including parts used in nuclear submarines.

Robert Luba, 47, also pleaded guilty in a New Jersey court to having provided non-conforming "wing pin" components manufactured in India and used in F-15 fighter jets instead of those made in the U.S. under contractual obligations.

It was the installation of these faulty Indian-made wing pins, which forced the U.S. Air Force to ultimately ground as many as 47 F-15 fighter aircraft for inspection and repair, resulting in a loss to the government of about $166,000, federal prosecutors alleged.

Luba, who now faces a maximum penalty of a $1 million fine and 20 years of imprisonment, has agreed to pay back approximately $173,000 to the Department of Defence, which includes the cost of repair for the grounded F-15s. His sentencing is scheduled for February 19, 2014.

"By recklessly providing sub-standard parts for sophisticated weapons systems and sharing sensitive information with a foreign state, Luba not only jeopardised the lives of men and women on the front lines of our national defence, he put all Americans at risk, all in the name of making a buck," Attorney Paul J Fishman said.

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