The US has approved the proposed sale of support services and related equipment for Apache helicopters to India at an estimated cost of $198.2 million, noting that this will improve Delhi’s “capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and deter regional threats”.
In a statement, the US Department of State said it also approved a possible sale of sustainment support for M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers for an estimated cost of $230 million.
The developments come at a time when the US and India are in the final stages of negotiating a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement, after having established a framework for an interim trade pact.
In November last year, the US approved the sale of Excalibur projectiles, the Javelin missile system, and other related equipment to India for over $90 million. Around the same time, India signed Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs) with the US for sustainment support of the Indian Navy’s fleet of MH60R helicopters through Follow on Support and Follow on Supply Support for a period of five years worth Rs 7,995 crore.
Additionally, the Indian Defence Acquisition Committee, earlier this year, cleared the acquisition of six P-8I maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the US for the Indian Navy.
According to a statement from the Department of State, India had requested to buy AH-64E Apache sustainment support services; US government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; technical data and publications; personnel training; and other related elements of logistics and programme support.
It said the proposed sale will improve “India’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and deter regional threats. India will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.”
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It noted that the principal contractor will be Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
In a separate statement, it said India had requested to buy long-term sustainment support for M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers, which includes ancillary items; spares; repair and return; training; technical assistance; field service representative; depot capability; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The principal contractor for this will be BAE Systems.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship and to improve 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 statement said about both the sales.
“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” it said.
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In October last year, the two countries signed the ‘framework for the US-India major defence partnership’, signalling stable ties in the defence sector.
The vision for bilateral defence cooperation was encapsulated in the September 2013 Joint US-India Declaration on Defence Cooperation and the 2015 Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship, in which the two countries committed themselves to increasing cooperation in the sector.
Between 2016 and 2020, the two sides signed four more agreements, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020.
In August 2024, both countries signed a Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and a Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers, among other bilateral military agreements that have enhanced defence and security cooperation.
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In September last year, Indian and American troops participated in a two-week military exercise “Yudh Abhyas” at Fort Wainwright in Alaska.
A week before that, the US submarine support ship USS Frank Cable visited Chennai on a scheduled port visit – the Military Sealift Command’s second to the region in two years.
Big-ticket Indian military procurements from the US include 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, the deal for which was inked in October 2024, MH-60R Seahawk multi-role helicopters, Sig Sauer rifles, and M777 ultra-light howitzers.
Negotiations are underway to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India for the LCA MK 2 fighters, and deliveries of the GE-F404 engines for the LCA Tejas Mark-1A are underway.
