While still subject to congressional approval, India and the U.S. reached a preliminary multibillion-dollar arms deal Thursday that includes jointly manufacturing jet fighter engines and authorizing New Delhi to buy state-of-the-art drones.
The announcement on June 22 coincided with a state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House. Yet the groundwork of the deal had already been laid out earlier this month by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
“The Defense Department and the Indian Ministry of Defense will work together to expand the strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation among government, businesses and academic institutions,” a news release from the Defense Department read.
While the new agreement will likely bring more frequent U.S. naval visits to Indian ports and increased joint military exercises, the meat of the deal lies in allowing General Electric to partner with India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics to build next-generation military jet engines. This F414 engine is currently used in U.S. F-18 fighters.
Another key component of the deal involves India acquiring upgraded MQ-9B Reaper drones, known as SeaGuardians, valued at approximately $3 billion. This move will significantly augment India’s intelligence capabilities.
The arms deal is a strategic shift in the U.S.-India relationship and is the first time Washington has agreed to share sensitive military technology with New Delhi.
“The U.S.-India defense partnership has been growing stronger through the years, but we’ve now entered really sort of a next generation defense partnership,” a senior White House administration official said at a news conference Thursday, according to Politico.
Despite pressure from the U.S., India has remained neutral regarding Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, abstaining from United Nations votes condemning Russia’s actions or joining sanctions.
Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute show that Russia has sold nearly 20 times as much weaponry to India as the U.S. in the past 10 years, per the WSJ.
Luring India away from this reliance on Russia for armament is one part of the strategic alliance recently struck. Another is bolstering India to counter regional rival China, whose growing military capacities have concerned both New Delhi and Washington alike, according to Politico.
For instance, the largest U.S. memory chip manufacturer Micron Technology is set to invest $2.7 billion to build a semiconductor testing and packaging unit in the Indian state of Gujarat, according to Reuters.
As The Dallas Express previously reported, U.S. exports of semiconductor technology to China were restricted late last year, just one of many recent issues that have fueled rising geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing.
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