A senior defense official told times of india Trump may push for a more overt military component to the Quad, a move India has so far been cautious about.
The official also said India was interested in co-producing defense technology rather than relying solely on direct purchases.
For example, negotiations to manufacture the GE-F414 engine for the Tejas Mark-II jet are ongoing, with 80% of the technology transfer expected to amount to approximately US$1 billion. “The Trump administration will not be an obstacle to such projects, but may want to charge higher prices for high-end technology transfers,” the official said. toy.
Other areas of interest include possible procurement of 114 multi-role fighter jets, estimated to cost around Rs 125 crore, and joint production of Stryker armored vehicles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which were recently showcased in Ladakh. It has secured more than $25 billion in defense deals in India and has surpassed Russia as India’s main arms supplier for several consecutive years. A milestone in defense. The $3.3 billion contract with the U.S. government, finalized last month, includes 31 armed drones to enhance aerial surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Additionally, a $520 million agreement with General Atomics supports the establishment of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in India, thereby strengthening the goal of self-reliance.
These drones are capable of performing long-endurance missions and enhance India’s strategic surveillance in the Indo-Pacific region, especially as the movements of Chinese submarines become the focus.
Equipped with advanced sensors and payloads, these UAVs provide India with enhanced domain awareness capabilities, and related maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities will provide critical support for India’s long-term operations and further consolidate it amid increasingly severe regional security challenges. US-India defense cooperation.
However, these projects are only part of an increasingly tense bilateral strategic cooperation. “There is a bipartisan consensus in the United States to further strengthen defense cooperation with India to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region. This also suits India, especially due to Russia’s strengthening ties with China,” the official told the Times of India.
(TOI input attached)
