Deals on drones and jets: How India-US defence ties are flourishing under PM Modi

The defence ministry has given the go-ahead to buy 30 MQ-9B Predator drones from the United States. The move comes just days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington. The deal worth billions of dollars is expected to be announced after talks between Modi and US president Joe Biden. The procurement of the weaponised ‘hunter-killer’ drones from General Atomics was cleared at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, people familiar with the matter said. This comes in the backdrop of reports that the Joe Biden administration will sign off on a deal that would allow General Electric Co (GE.N) to produce jet engines powering Indian military aircraft. Let’s take a closer look at how India-US defence ties are flourishing under Modi: By the numbers According to OROF, between 2015 and 2019, the US share in India’s total defence imports rose by 14 per cent. Defence trade between the two nations touched $20 billion in 2020 – a sea change from near-zero in 2008.

In 2016, the United States designated India under the Modi regime as a major defence partner.

According to Eurasian Times, this bestows a “unique status” that puts India on par with Washington’s closest allies. US-India jet engine deal: What is it and why is this big news for New Delhi? That led to India being elevated to Strategic Trade Authorization tier 1 status in 2018. This makes it easier for the US to sell high-technology products to India. Big purchases India has also made several significant purchases from the US in recent years including MH-60R Seahawk helicopters ($2.8 billion), Apache helicopters ($796 million), and the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure ($189 million).

India is also the first non-NATO partner to be offered these predator drones – a sign of growing trust.

Cooperation on defence trade continues to expand as the countries have put into place Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), and the Industrial Security Agreement (ISA). EurAsian Times notes that apart from the  Defence Technologies and Trade Initiative (DTTI) – which was signed in 2012 – all the pacts were concluded after Modi took power in 2014. [caption id=“attachment_12724932” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] (File) US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive at the Quad leaders summit at Kantei Palace in Tokyo on 24 May 2022. Biden has made it a mission for the U.S. to build friendships overseas, and the next few weeks will offer a vivid demonstration of the importance he’s placing on a relationship with Modi. AP[/caption] “The previous governments in Delhi were reluctant to conclude them, the rationale being that those would make India a member of the “US-led camp” and affect the country’s long-cherished strategic autonomy. Such reasoning was dubious, to speak the least. But the fact remains that with the coming of the Modi government, the Indo-US relations, including the security ties, have undergone dramatic changes,” the piece noted. ‘Load bearing pillar’ India is also interested in purchasing for its air force the Lockheed Martin F-21 and Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-15EX Eagle. These expectations ride on the back of successful collaborations in aircraft systems like the P-8Is which are seen as useful in boosting India’s maritime reconnaissance and domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific expanse,” OROF noted. According to the United States Institute for Peace, defence ties between the two nations have been the “load-bearing pillar of the strategic partnership.” “The two countries have built intelligence-sharing channels and assessment capabilities to better identify and prepare for threats; developed access agreements for military logistics to support each other’s reach; and conducted regular military exercises to improve our capabilities and interoperability,” the piece noted. The piece also noted how Washington came to New Delhi’s aid during the border crises with China and Pakistan how it shared ‘vital intelligence, rushed critical supplies and then approved the lease of MQ-9B drones for deterrence by detection’ during the dust-up at the Line of Actual Control. USIP also reported that a senior US official said “we’ve broken all the china” to share this level of technology when it comes to authorising joint production of GE F-414 jet engines in India. According to Hindu Business Line, these engines would be used in the AJT Tejas MK-2 planes. Modi’s visit a springboard’ US officials told India Today that Modi’s visit is being looked as a ‘springboard’ to further elevate the relationship between the two countries. The piece noted how members of the US president’s cabinet have in recent days talked about the relationship with ‘unusual clarity and enthusiasm’ “The White House is calling the shots and projecting Modi’s visit as the cement that will bind the two countries and “consecrate” the relationship – to use the words of Kurt Campbell, the White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific,” the piece noted.

It also recalled defence secretary Lloyd Austin’s words that the countries were at a “transformative moment”.

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Austin made the remarks on a visit to Delhi earlier in June. “The evolution of Indo-US defence relations over the last two decades has been phenomenal and always received bipartisan support, irrespective of the regimes in both countries. The path ahead seems to be bright,” the Eurasian Times piece concluded. ‘Time come to move forward’ US Representative Richard McCormick stressed on having ties between the United States (US) and India economically, militarily and strategically. He emphasised that lawmakers whether they are Democrats or Republicans need to pay more attention to India as a “future partner going forward”. On reports of the US pushing a sign a big-arms drone deal during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, “I think the more we link our countries together, both strategically, economically, militarily, the better. If you look at the threats in the region, if you look at India’s strategic location next to China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, with all the problems that we have in that part of the world right now, we need a strong partner, somebody that we can link ourselves to.” Experts suggest US President Joe Biden has made deepening ties with India a cornerstone of his policy to counter China’s growing influence, placing special attention this year on collaboration between the world’s two largest democracies on advanced military technologies, despite their lack of a formal security alliance. “We need to make sure we continue to be linked to that very important part of the world with somebody who sees the world very similar to us,” McCormick told ANI. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.