Engines for fighter jets, drones, submarines top the agenda of India, US & Germany next week
New Delhi is getting ready to hold bilateral defence cooperation talks with the US and Germany. Talks with the US and Germany will focus on the Indo-Pacific Region, maritime domain awareness, joint defence production and R&D of different military platforms, counter terrorism, joint military drills and more.
India-US
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is reaching India on Sunday on a two day visit ahead of PM Modi’s visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to that country later this month. In his talks with defence minister Rajnath Singh the focus will be on firming up the MoU for the India-GE India-specific GE-f414 INS6 for fighter jets, identifying new areas of cooperation in the defence sector.
The MoU is expected to be approved by the Biden administration as it seeks to shift India from Russia and also in an effort to counter China. Once approved this will be one of the biggest announcements which will be made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington DC later this month.
Singh and his American counterpart will also discuss several other projects which are expected to be unveiled later this month. Also on the agenda of talks is the three year long standoff between the Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, countering terrorism, Indo-Pacific, Maritime Domain awareness and more.
This is the second visit of the US Secretary of Defence Austin to India previously he was in India in 2021.
The bilateral military cooperation between the two countries has witnessed an upswing during which several military deals have fructified, military drills focussing on interoperability have been conducted. Major defence and security pacts between the two countries have been concluded.
In 2016 the two countries signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). This allows the militaries of both sides to use each other’s bases for replenishment of supplies as well as repairs.
In 2018 the COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) was signed and this agreement allows sale of hi-end technology to India and also provides interoperability between the two militaries.
The two countries sealed BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) in October 2020 which allows sharing of geospatial maps, high-end military technology, and logistics.
MoU for GE Engines to be made in India
Financial Express Online has reported recently that during the visit of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to Washington DC, the US committed to an expeditious review of the license application which was submitted by the US based General Electric for the production of the engines which will power the Light Combat Aircraft `Tejas’ Mk2. The company is also interested in participating in powering India’s twin engine Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) which is under development by ADA which is the nodal agency under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The American company is also expected to power Indian Navy’s warships later.
India & Germany
According to the Ministry of Defence official statement, Germany’s Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius is arriving on a four day visit to India on June 6.
The talks with his counterpart Rajnath Singh will focus on industrial cooperation, possibility of building submarines in India, some pending deals as well as the first ever Franco-Indian-German military exercise which is scheduled to take place in 2024.
The German defence minister will be on a four day visit. In New Delhi the visiting minister will hold talks with his counterpart on June 6, this will be followed by his meeting with some defence start-ups during an event which will be organised by iDEX. He is then expected to travel to Mumbai. On his agenda in Mumbai is an expected visit to the Western Naval Command Headquarters and then a visit to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). A MoU is expected to be signed with the Mumbai based MDL.