NEW DELHI: The US has welcomed India’s impending $3.9 billion procurement of 31 armed MQ-9B `hunter-killer’ Predator drones, as a part of their general defence partnership that can see the 2 international locations additional ramp up navy interoperability, intelligence-sharing, house and cyber cooperation in addition to defence-industrial and innovation collaboration, with an eye fixed firmly on China’s aggressive behaviour within the Indo-Pacific.
The govt.-to-govt deal for the 31 high-altitude long-endurance remotely piloted plane (RPA), with 15 Sea Guardian drones earmarked for Navy and eight Sky Guardians every for Military and IAF, is about to be inked in mid-Oct after the 2 sides wrapped up the techno-commercial negotiations, as was earlier reported by TOI.
“President Joe Biden welcomed the progress in the direction of India concluding procurement of 31 Normal Atomics MQ-9Bs and their related tools, which can improve the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of India’s armed forces throughout all domains”, a joint fact-sheet issued after the Modi-Biden talks stated.
The drone deal will take the collective value of profitable Indian defence contracts bagged by the US to properly over $25 billion simply since 2007. As a substitute of such direct acquisitions, India is now pushing for co-development and co-production of superior weapon methods below the bold defence-industrial cooperation roadmap finalized in June final 12 months.
Whereas no such joint venture has been sealed until now, Modi and Biden “recognised the exceptional progress” achieved below the roadmap, together with “ongoing collaboration to advance precedence co-production preparations for jet engines, munitions, and floor mobility methods”.
India and the US, for example, are conducting techno-commercial negotiations to collectively produce GE-F414 jet engines for the Tejas Mark-2 fighters right here, with 80% switch of know-how for round $1 billion.
The actual fact-sheet additionally talked about that the US demonstrated its Stryker armoured infantry fight car, with the Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, on the margins of the joint `Yudh Abhyas’ train that concluded in Rajasthan on Saturday.
TOI had earlier reported that the discussions have been in a sophisticated stage for the joint manufacture of the eight-wheeled Strykers, with the Indian Military projecting a requirement for round 530 such autos, although there may be some criticism about indigenous choices being ignored within the course of.
The 2 leaders additionally welcomed efforts to broaden different defence-industrial partnerships, together with for the co-development and co-production of unmanned floor car methods to strengthen undersea and maritime area consciousness, in addition to improve India’s MRO (upkeep, restore, overhaul) capabilities for the restore of plane and unmanned aerial autos.
Modi and Biden additionally lauded ongoing efforts to deepen the bilateral navy partnership and interoperability to take care of a free and open Indo-Pacific, noting that India hosted the most important and most complicated bilateral tri-Service train “Tiger Triumph” until date in March.
“The leaders counseled work to advance cooperation in superior domains, together with house and cyber, and seemed ahead in the direction of the Nov 2024 bilateral cyber engagement to boost the cyber cooperation framework. Areas of latest cooperation will embrace risk info sharing, cybersecurity coaching, and collaboration on vulnerability mitigation in vitality and telecommunications networks,” it stated.
Underneath a MoU on the deployment of navy liaison officers, India will now publish a Colonel-rank officer to the US Particular Operations Command at Florida, whereas one other officer will go to the Indo-Pacific Command at Hawaii.
The govt.-to-govt deal for the 31 high-altitude long-endurance remotely piloted plane (RPA), with 15 Sea Guardian drones earmarked for Navy and eight Sky Guardians every for Military and IAF, is about to be inked in mid-Oct after the 2 sides wrapped up the techno-commercial negotiations, as was earlier reported by TOI.
“President Joe Biden welcomed the progress in the direction of India concluding procurement of 31 Normal Atomics MQ-9Bs and their related tools, which can improve the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of India’s armed forces throughout all domains”, a joint fact-sheet issued after the Modi-Biden talks stated.
The drone deal will take the collective value of profitable Indian defence contracts bagged by the US to properly over $25 billion simply since 2007. As a substitute of such direct acquisitions, India is now pushing for co-development and co-production of superior weapon methods below the bold defence-industrial cooperation roadmap finalized in June final 12 months.
Whereas no such joint venture has been sealed until now, Modi and Biden “recognised the exceptional progress” achieved below the roadmap, together with “ongoing collaboration to advance precedence co-production preparations for jet engines, munitions, and floor mobility methods”.
India and the US, for example, are conducting techno-commercial negotiations to collectively produce GE-F414 jet engines for the Tejas Mark-2 fighters right here, with 80% switch of know-how for round $1 billion.
The actual fact-sheet additionally talked about that the US demonstrated its Stryker armoured infantry fight car, with the Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, on the margins of the joint `Yudh Abhyas’ train that concluded in Rajasthan on Saturday.
TOI had earlier reported that the discussions have been in a sophisticated stage for the joint manufacture of the eight-wheeled Strykers, with the Indian Military projecting a requirement for round 530 such autos, although there may be some criticism about indigenous choices being ignored within the course of.
The 2 leaders additionally welcomed efforts to broaden different defence-industrial partnerships, together with for the co-development and co-production of unmanned floor car methods to strengthen undersea and maritime area consciousness, in addition to improve India’s MRO (upkeep, restore, overhaul) capabilities for the restore of plane and unmanned aerial autos.
Modi and Biden additionally lauded ongoing efforts to deepen the bilateral navy partnership and interoperability to take care of a free and open Indo-Pacific, noting that India hosted the most important and most complicated bilateral tri-Service train “Tiger Triumph” until date in March.
“The leaders counseled work to advance cooperation in superior domains, together with house and cyber, and seemed ahead in the direction of the Nov 2024 bilateral cyber engagement to boost the cyber cooperation framework. Areas of latest cooperation will embrace risk info sharing, cybersecurity coaching, and collaboration on vulnerability mitigation in vitality and telecommunications networks,” it stated.
Underneath a MoU on the deployment of navy liaison officers, India will now publish a Colonel-rank officer to the US Particular Operations Command at Florida, whereas one other officer will go to the Indo-Pacific Command at Hawaii.
