In a move that will help bolster India’s defence capabilities, the US has approved a possible foreign military sale of anti-submarine warfare sonobuoys and related equipment to the country at an estimated cost of USD 52.8 million for the multi-mission MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification, notifying the US Congress of this possible sale on Friday. The approval coincided with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s ongoing four-day visit to the US.

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A Biden administration’s notification stated that this deal will support Washington’s foreign policy and national security objectives by helping to strengthen the bilateral strategic relationship and improving the security of a major defence partner, India. It said India continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions”.

This proposed sale will strengthen the India-US strategic and defence relationship. It will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing its capacity to conduct anti-submarine warfare operations from its MH-60R helicopters.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held substantive talks with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan during which the two sides deliberated on the evolving geopolitical situation and the ongoing defence industrial collaboration between the two countries.

Mr Singh also interacted with senior leaders of the US defence industry at a round table organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. The round-table was attended by a large number of US defence and technology companies.

According to official sources, the Indian minister discussed potential areas in which the industries of the two countries could work together with his US interlocutors.

During his meetings, Mr Singh emphasised that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration. He is ready with a skilled human resource base, robust pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and a large domestic market.

India looks forward to closely working with the US across the domains of defence for capability building and for an abiding technology & industrial partnership which can address emerging challenges, he added.

Mr Singh highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in the areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was adopted last year.

At their meeting, Mr Singh and the US defence secretary expressed happiness on the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between the two countries.

The SOSA signed yesterday in Washington DC encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together, and enhances the supply chain resilience. They also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and US regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers. India shall be accordingly deploying the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US.

Both ministers appreciated the progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative and lauded the ongoing efforts by India to enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region. They welcomed the ongoing Indian participation in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and noted that India shall deploy Indian Navy personnel in CMF’s Combined Task Force 150 headquarters in 2025.

Mr Singh and Mr Austin commended the efforts of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) for establishing the Defence Innovation bridge between the two countries. They appreciated INDUS-X establishing robust networks across start-ups, industry, academia, and governments, accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and enhancing the war-fighting capabilities of both sides. The upcoming INDUS X Silicon Valley Summit in September 2024 shall witness announcements of several key initiatives.