AMN / WEB DESK
The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has approved a possible foreign military sale of anti-submarine warfare sonobuoys and related equipment to India at an estimated cost of 52.8 million US Dollars 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 yesterday.
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. The Navy in March this year had commissioned its first squadron of six submarine-hunting MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, armed with Hellfire missiles, MK-54 torpedoes and precision-kill rockets, at INS Garuda in Kochi.
Rajnath Singh interacts with senior leaders of US defence industry at US-India Strategic Partnership Forum
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India is looking forward to closely working with the US across the domains of defence for capability building and for an abiding technology and industrial partnership. Mr. Singh said this while interacting with the senior leaders of the US defence industry at a round table organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington DC yesterday.
Mr. Singh also emphasised that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration, and is ready with a skilled human resource base, robust pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and a large domestic market. The round-table was attended by a large number of US defence and technology companies. The Defence Minister also met the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington DC. They deliberated on the evolving geopolitical situation and certain key regional security issues. They also discussed the ongoing defence industrial collaboration projects between India and the US, and potential areas where the industries of the two countries could work together.