After PM Modi’s trip to Russia that caused ripples, Rajnath headed for US
NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh will head for Washington later this month, in the first high-level visit to the US after PM Modi’s recent trip to Russia led to some diplomatic ripples and at a time when there has been considerable delay in supply of American jet engines for the indigenous Tejas fighters.
Singh is slated to discuss several measures to further enhance the already expansive bilateral strategic-military ties, including stepped-up security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, in delegation-level talks with US secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin on August 23, sources said on Friday.
India, of course, is now getting set to host the top-notch Malabar naval exercise with the other ‘Quad’ countries, the US, Japan and Australia, in the Bay of Bengal in Oct, amid China’s continuing aggression in the South China Sea and expanding strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).During his five-day visit, Singh will also interact with the leadership of major US defence companies to reinforce the “Make in India” drive, as part of the military-industrial cooperation roadmap finalized between the two countries in June last year.
Singh is expected to take up the delay in supply of GE-F404 turbofan engines to Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) by US firm General Electric. It is one the main reasons that has led to the delay in the delivery timeframe of 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets to IAF, contracted from HAL under the Rs 46,898 crore contract in Feb 2021, as reported by TOI earlier.
India and the US are now also conducting the final techno-commercial negotiations for inking two mega deals in the coming months. The first is the acquisition of 31 armed MQ-9B drones and associated equipment, including 170 Hellfire missiles, 310 GBU-39B precision-guided glide bombs, navigation systems, sensor suites and mobile ground control systems. Though the US has quoted a price tag of $3.9 billion (over Rs 33,500 crore), India is seeking to bring down the cost and seal the deal by Nov this year.
The second is the co-production of GE-F414 jet engines by General Electric and HAL for the Tejas Mark-II fighters in India, with 80% transfer of technology for around $1 billion.
The US is also pushing for the joint manufacture of its latest generation of Stryker armoured infantry combat vehicles, with Austin recently citing it as another indicator of the upward trajectory in the bilateral defence partnership. The US, incidentally, has bagged lucrative Indian defence deals worth around $22 billion just since 2007.
Under the roadmap finalized in June last year to fast-track technology collaboration and co-production, the priority areas identified are air combat and support, including aero-engines; ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) systems; ground mobility systems; undersea domain awareness; and smart munitions, including long-range artillery ammunition.
