Indias Modi Leaves Washington With Host Of Defense, Tech Agreements In His Wake
US President Joe Biden, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi toast during a state dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, Thursday, June 22, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to return from her high-profile trip to the US this week with a slew of new defense-related deals, including plans to buy MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, an "innovative offering" for General Electric. production. . . . The White House has announced a new deal to overhaul F414 jet engines in India.
The trip was seen as a catalyst, opening up new opportunities for defense cooperation between the two countries, especially in the area of technology exchange, although some details of the initiatives remain scarce.
" The US-India partnership is the cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and our deepening ties show how technological innovation and growing military cooperation between the two great powers can be a force for global good," a Pentagon spokeswoman said. Brig. This was announced to reporters on Thursday by General Pat Ryder.
Modi also referred to a "free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific" during his address to Congress on Thursday, in what appeared to be a criticism of Beijing's growing aggression in the region.
The announcement of joint production of the General Electric F414 jet engine in India was one of the high-profile topics expected at meetings this week, with the White House announcing that GE and Hindustan Aeronautics would sign a limited deal. a memorandum of understanding and that Congress has been notified of the manufacturing licensing agreement.
"This pioneering F-414 engine manufacturing initiative in India, the first of its kind, will enable more widespread transfer of American jet engine technology than ever before," the White House said.
In a separate press release, GE said the deal advances the company's commitment to build 99 engines for the Indian Air Force under the Tejas Mk 2 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program .
“This puts the company in a strong position to manufacture a family of products in India, including the F404 engine currently used for the LCA Mk1 and LCA Mk1A aircraft, and GE Aerospace's choice for development, testing and [advanced medium combat aircraft]. AMCA prototype certification with our F414-INS6 engine,” GE said.
The White House said India "intends " to procure General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian combat drones. On the maritime front, the US Navy has signed a major ship repair agreement with the Larsen and Toubro shipyards in Kottapuli and is finalizing deals with Mazagon Dock Limited and the Goa shipyard.
“These agreements will allow the maintenance and repair of US Navy cruise ships in Indian shipyards, contributing to the cost-effective and operational support of US military operations in several theaters of war,” the White House said in a statement.
Ryder said the Pentagon and the service will receive more details about the plan soon, but the "goal" is to make India a logistics hub for the US and other partners in the region.
“ We are committed to supporting India in building infrastructure for the logistics, repair and maintenance of aircraft and ships… this will certainly be important as we work together to keep the Indo-Pacific region free and open,” the star added. General.
The two countries also pledged to strengthen cooperation in the field of undersea intelligence and began negotiations on a security of supply agreement and a mutual defense procurement agreement to mitigate disruptions in the supply chain of defense companies.
In addition to the White House announcements, the two countries on Wednesday launched the Indian-American Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), in part to strengthen defense industry cooperation and technology sharing between the two countries.
"This is a transformative moment in the US-India defense partnership," a senior US Department of Defense official told reporters ahead of Tuesday's launch.
“We think this is a relationship full of great opportunities and these are the two largest democracies in the world, where some of the most innovative workers and companies are collaborating more closely on strategic technology, and how we can use that to secure is another natural step. in these aspects,” the official added later.
While the focus has been on government-to-government relations, INDUS-X aims to bring the private sector into the shadows and stimulate defense technology start-ups in both countries.
