India, US in talks for 10-year defence framework amid delays in military supplies
India and the United States are in talks to finalise a new 10-year framework for defence cooperation, expected to align with progress on co-production of jet engines and expediting delayed military supplies from US companies.
India has expressed concern over the delay in deliveries by US defence contractors, particularly General Electric’s F404 engines required for the Tejas Mark 1-A fighter jet and six Apache attack helicopters from Boeing. Additionally, the joint production of GE’s more advanced F414 engine, announced in June 2023, is yet to take off.
The US Department of Defence on Tuesday issued a statement on the meeting between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington DC. Hegseth outlined the roadmap ahead, stating, “We hope we can complete several major pending US defence sales to India, expand our shared industrial cooperation and co-production efforts, strengthen interoperability between our forces and then formally sign a new 10-year framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership… which we hope to do very soon.”
The existing framework, established after the US designated India a Major Defence Partner in 2016, is now due for renewal. Following that designation, India was granted Strategic Trade Authorisation Tier 1 status in 2018, allowing licence-free access to certain military and dual-use technologies.
Jaishankar is currently in the US to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting. He and Hegseth also discussed India’s participation in the upcoming India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem Summit, which aims to deepen industrial cooperation and foster innovation in defence manufacturing and technology.
“The defence partnership is truly one of the most consequential pillars of the relationship,” Jaishankar said, as quoted by the US Department of Defence. “What we do in the Indo-Pacific, we believe, is absolutely crucial to its strategic stability.”
Hegseth echoed this sentiment, stressing that both countries are aligned in their security concerns and capable of jointly addressing regional threats.
During a February meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both sides had agreed to pursue new procurements and co-production projects, including Javelin anti-tank guided missiles and Stryker armoured vehicles. The procurement of six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft was also discussed.
India already operates a range of US-origin platforms such as the C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster, P-8I Poseidon, CH-47F Chinook, MH-60R Sea Hawk and AH-64E Apache helicopters, as well as Harpoon anti-ship missiles, M777 howitzers and MQ-9B SkyGuardian armed drones.
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