US hails integration of its weapons into India's military arsenal; promises to complete pending sales soon

Even as India has already integrated several US-manufactured weapons into its military arsenal, including military transport aircraft C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III, heavy-lift transport helicopter CH-47F Chinook, advanced attack helicopter AH-64E Apache, multi-mission maritime helicopter MH-60R Sea Hawk, and maritime patrol aircraft P-8I Poseidon, the US is hopeful of adding more weapons to India's armoury as it wants to complete several major pending defence sales to India fast.

 

Expressing satisfaction over the successful integration of many US weapons into India's inventory, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "...building on this progress, we hope we can complete several major pending US defence sales to India, expand our shared defence industrial cooperation and coproduction efforts, strengthen interoperability."

 

The US has been actively working to reduce India’s dependence on Russian defence equipment by deepening bilateral defence cooperation, expanding arms sales, and promoting joint production. Latest in these efforts was the pitch to sell F-35 stealth fighters to India even as Russia has been offering to sell its fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 amid reports that Pakistan is all set to receive fifth-gen fighters from China.

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Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump had said, "Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with F-35 stealth fighters."

 

Echoing similar sentiments, the defence secretary said the US hopes to soon formally sign a 10-year framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership.

 

Hegseth, on Tuesday, met  External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to discuss cooperation between the two countries, including weapons sales and the signing of framework for defence partnership.

 

Pointing out that India and US has a rich and growing history of cooperation, driven by a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the defence secretary said, "Almost right at the beginning of the administration, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi set a strong foundation for our relationship, which we are building on here today: productive, pragmatic and realistic."

 

In February, Trump and Modi announced plans to pursue new procurements and coproduction arrangements for Javelin antitank guided missiles and Stryker armoured vehicles, and six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. 

Defence