At their meeting in Vientiane, Laos, defense minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Lloyd J. Austin praised the remarkable advancements in the India-US defense alliance, emphasizing the need for more operational coordination, information exchange, and industrial cooperation and innovation.
The defense ministry said in a statement released in New Delhi that “both sides recognized the remarkable progress made under the US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, including ongoing collaboration to advance priority co-production arrangements for jet engines, munitions, and ground mobility systems.”
India and the US have held talks to deepen their bilateral relationship, focusing on defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security, and the Indo-Pacific region. They signed two key agreements to bolster defence cooperation: the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and a memorandum of agreement regarding the assignment of liaison officers. Both sides welcomed ongoing efforts to deepen the military partnership and interoperability to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
India, the US, Japan, and Australia are the Quad nations. Singh and Austin reviewed progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness in August. They affirmed support for the growing defence innovation collaboration between the two governments, businesses, and academic institutions fostered by the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem.
They agreed to continue the momentum achieved in the last two-and-a-half years through growing convergence on strategic interests and enhanced defence cooperation.
India recently signed a $3.5 billion deal with the US to acquire 31 MQ-9B drones to boost its defence preparedness, primarily with an eye on China. The agreement came after a deliberative process in New Delhi that spanned eight years, involved negotiations with two US administrations, incorporated the lease of two drones, and required congressional approval at the American end.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is also negotiating a deal with US firm GE Aerospace for the joint production of F414 engines in India. The joint production of the engines will help the country overcome a striking technology gap, lay the foundation for indigenous development of bigger jet engines, and possibly open doors to exports.
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Source: HT
