US Defence Secretary Ash Carter and India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inspect a jet engine in the hanger deck of the USS Eisenhower off the coast of Virginia, in the Atlantic Ocean, on Thursday. Carter visited the carrier with Parrikar to demonstrate US Navy aircraft carrier flight operations.
Agenciesw
Washington
The US has updated its policy on gas-turbine engine technology transfer to India, a move that should lead to expanded co-operation in production and design of jet-engine components, a joint statement said on Thursday.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter informed Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar of the decision during the latter’s visit to Washington this week and said it was made possible by the strengthening relationship between two countries.
“As a result of this policy update, the Secretary is confident that the US will be able to expand co-operation in production and design of jet-engine components,” the joint statement said.
It said the two sides looked forward to US companies working with their Indian counterparts “to submit transfer requests that will benefit from this updated policy.”
The statement gave no details of the policy update and a Pentagon spokesman was unable to provide more information.
India and the US were often at odds during the Cold War but have been working in recent years to expand defence co-operation given shared concerns about China’s rising power.
The US has become one of the main sources of weapons for the Indian military, and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make-in-India” programme has offered joint development and production of military technologies.
The scope of this Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) has so far been modest because of concerns about intellectual property protection on the part of US companies.
In June, Carter and Parrikar signed a new 10-year defence co-operation pact and sealed an agreement for joint development of protective gear for soldiers against biological and chemical warfare, and another on building generators.
In August, the two sides also held an inaugural working-level meeting aimed at establishing broader co-operation on the design, development and production of aircraft carriers.
Parrikar told a joint news conference on Thursday that he had told Carter of India’s desire for further collaboration in higher-end technologies under DTTI.
He said “many” more DTTI initiatives could be expected that would involve technology transfers and US firms setting up production facilities in India.
“This enhanced co-operation will definitely result in a great deal of things coming out in the next six months,” he said without elaborating.
A day earlier, Parrikar asked the US to reciprocate positively for technology transfer approvals and leverage opportunities created by New Delhi.
“In the past one year, there have been sincere attempts from the Indian Ministry of Defence to change the mindset,” he said at a roundtable with senior executives of American and Indian aerospace and defence companies at an event organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC).
