The US Government has approved a proposed $52.8 million deal with India for anti-submarine warfare sonobuoys and related equipment for the Navy. The deal now awaits final approval from the US Congress.
This announcement comes during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's ongoing four-day visit to Washington, where he held talks with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, and National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan.
Moreover, India and US on Thursday inked two major agreements - Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) and Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers.
As regards the proposed deal, the US will supply the systems through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route. It means that the US Government will stand guarantee for all the terms and conditions of the contract.
The sale includes AN/SSQ-53G High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare (HAASW) sonobuoys, AN/SSQ-62F HAASW sonobuoys, AN/SSQ-36 sonobuoys, as well as technical publications, and other logistics. "The estimated total cost is $52.8 million," the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.
This proposed sale aims to bolster US-India strategic relations and enhance India's anti-submarine warfare and deterrence capabilities, particularly for its MH-60R helicopters.
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the United States-India strategic relationship and improving the security of a major defense partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions," the DSCA said.
“The proposed sale 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. India will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its Armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region," it added.
Meanwhile, Singh discussed evolving geopolitical situation, key regional security issues and defence industrial collaboration with NSA Sullivan, Defence Ministry said here on Saturday.
The Defence Minister also interacted with the senior leaders of the US defence industry at a round-table organised by US India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington DC.
The round-table was attended by a large number of US defence and technology companies.
Singh 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 large domestic market.
India looks forward to closely working with US across the domains of defence for capability building and for an abiding technology and industrial partnership which can address emerging challenges, he added. Later, the Defence Minister briefly met a delegation from US India Business Council.
Earlier, he held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Pentagon, Washington. They held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security and other international issues.
The Defence Minister highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in the areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was adopted last year.
Both Ministers expressed happiness on the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between India and US. The SOSA encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together, and enhances the supply chain resilience.
They also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and US regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers. India shall be accordingly deploying the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US.
