India and the US on Monday introduced the conclusion of a brand new highway map for future defence industrial cooperation with the objective of fast-tracking know-how cooperation and co-production in crucial areas similar to air fight and land mobility programs; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; munitions, and the undersea area, in a renewed push for deepening collaboration within the sector throughout delegation-level talks between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Lloyd J Austin.
In separate statements, the 2 sides highlighted what the brand new highway map seeks to attain.
“This initiative goals to alter the paradigm for cooperation between US and Indian protection sectors, together with a set of particular proposals that would present India entry to cutting-edge applied sciences and help India’s protection modernization plans,” the US Division of Protection (DoD) stated in an announcement.
Either side will establish alternatives for co-development of recent applied sciences and co-production of present and new programs and facilitate elevated collaboration between defence their start-ups, the Indian defence ministry stated after the talks.
The talks coated a raft of areas together with manufacturing GE-414 fighter jet engines within the nation via switch of know-how, shopping for hi-tech drones from the US for the Indian navy, the state of affairs alongside the Line of Precise Management (LAC) in jap Ladakh the place India has been locked in a border row with China for over three years, and a free and rules-bound Indo-Pacific area the place China is pushing for better affect, Indian officers monitoring the dialogue stated, asking to not be named.
The deal to construct GE-414 engines in India is about to be introduced throughout Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s go to to the US from June 21 to June 24, stated one of many officers cited above. The engine will energy the sunshine fight plane (LCA) Mk-2 and different indigenous fighters that India plans to develop together with the superior medium fight plane (AMCA) and the twin-engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF).
“The GE-414 engine deal shall be a stepping stone to convey newer applied sciences to India. The scope for collaboration is immense throughout crucial defence domains,” stated one of many officers cited above.
Austin is in India “to strengthen the foremost protection partnership, and advance cooperation in crucial domains” forward of Modi’s official state go to to Washington, the DoD assertion stated.
India can be on track to purchase Predator drones from the US for the three providers, and discussions are on to finalise the numbers wanted, the officers stated. The attainable drone buy got here up in the course of the talks, the officers stated. The sooner plan was to purchase 30 such drones (10 every for the navy, air pressure and military) in a deal estimated to be price $3 billion.
In 2020, the navy leased a pair of MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones (an unarmed variant of the Predators manufactured by Common Atomics) from the US to spice up its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. The MQ-9Bs have helped the navy hold a detailed watch on the Indian Ocean at a time when it has stepped up surveillance within the area to test China’s ambitions.
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Eradicating roadblocks to industrial cooperation was mentioned in the course of the talks. The 2 sides additionally determined to provoke negotiations on a brand new association that can allow them to entry one another’s industrial sources to handle unanticipated provide chain disruptions to satisfy their safety wants. Nearer industry-to-industry partnerships and creating resilient provide chains is crucial, the Indian officers stated.
“The Secretary and Minister Singh additionally pledged to evaluate regulatory hurdles impeding nearer industry-to-industry cooperation and to provoke negotiations on a Safety of Provide Association and a Reciprocal Protection Procurement settlement, which can promote long-term provide chain stability,” the DoD assertion stated.
Austin additionally held talks with nationwide safety advisor Ajit Doval.
“Throughout his conferences, the Secretary and his counterparts exchanged views on a variety of regional safety points and dedicated to collaborating intently with India in help of our shared imaginative and prescient for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US assertion stated.
The 2 sides agreed that it was key to make sure that nations within the area and the Indo-Pacific retained their freedom of motion consistent with their nationwide priorities and weren’t coerced into poor selections, HT has learnt.
The secretary and his counterparts mentioned the rising significance of defence innovation and cooperation in rising domains similar to area, our on-line world, and synthetic intelligence, the DoD assertion stated. They praised the latest launch of a brand new Superior Domains Protection Dialogue and dedicated to increasing the scope of bilateral defence cooperation to embody all domains, whereas welcoming the institution of the India-US Protection Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), a brand new initiative to advance cutting-edge know-how cooperation.
The initiative, which shall be launched by the US-India Enterprise Council on June 21, is designed to enhance present government-to-government collaboration by selling modern partnerships between US and Indian corporations, traders, start-up accelerators, and tutorial analysis establishments, the US assertion stated.
Austin and Singh additionally dedicated to strengthening operational collaboration throughout all navy providers to help India’s main function as a safety supplier within the Indo-Pacific.
“They mentioned new alternatives to strengthen data sharing and enhance cooperation within the maritime area. On this observe, Secretary Austin welcomed India’s management function within the Quad Indo-Pacific Maritime Area Consciousness Initiative (IPMDA), which can present cutting-edge area consciousness functionality to nations throughout the Indo-Pacific area,” the US assertion added.
Either side reviewed the strong and multifaceted bilateral defence cooperation actions and agreed to keep up the momentum of engagement, the Indian assertion stated. “In addition they mentioned the regional safety points given their shared curiosity in sustaining peace and stability within the Indo-Pacific area,” it added.