New Delhi: Even as bilateral ties continue to face turbulence on the trade front, India and the US have signed a key defence pact that has set the roadmap for the critical sector for the next 10 years.
The agreement, signed following the meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, on the sidelines of 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, aims to deepen the bilateral ties in the critical sector.
Sources told ThePrint that the ‘Framework for the US-India major defence partnership’ focuses on joint production of key defence equipment, greater interoperability between the militaries and deeper cooperation when it comes to emerging technology.
While sources said the framework does not talk about any particular programme, there are multiple under discussion between India and the US on a government to government level in various stages.
This they said include both joint production as well as direct sale deals including for various kinds of specialised munitions, missiles, armed drones, surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft, helicopters, artillery guns, specialised fighting vehicles, jet engine and underwater drones among others.
The sources explained that various projects are being discussed and some are likely to be announced over a period of one year.
In a post on X, Rajnath said the signing of the agreement was “a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership”
He added: “Defence will remain as the major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-bound Indo-Pacific region.”
On his part, Hegseth stated that the framework advances the bilateral defence partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence.
“We’re enhancing our coordination, info sharing, and tech cooperation. Our defense ties have never been stronger,” he wrote on X.
The US had in July expressed hope that major pending American arms deals with India would be finalised and that the two countries would formally sign the new 10-year framework for the ‘US-India Major Defense Partnership’.
India operates several US-origin platforms such as the Lockheed Martin C‑130J Super Hercules, Boeing’s C‑17 Globemaster III, P‑8I Poseidon maritime aircraft, AH‑64E Apache attack helicopters, the MH-60R choppers, and CH‑47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, as well as Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
India also operates M777 ultra-light howitzers, primarily along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which were used during Operation Sindoor. It has placed orders for 31 MQ‑9B Reaper (Sea Guardian/Sky Guardian) armed HALE UAVs developed by General Atomics.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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