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India, US shun ‘buyer-seller’ ties, become collaborators: Rajnath
The US is already collaborating with Indian firms for the co-production of F-16 fighter planes, C-130 transport aircraft and Apache helicopters.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said India and US were now collaborating in the defence sector, “leaving behind the traditional ‘buyer-seller’ relationship”.
Speaking at the US defence industry and ‘Make in India’ session on Day-2 of the DefExpo-2020 here, Rajnath said the India-US deal could lead to the “biggest defence collaboration of this century.”
Singh also referred to several vital agreements signed during the ‘2+2 dialogue’ he had held with US defence secretary Mark Esper during his visit to US in December last year.
During the dialogue, India and US had signed an industrial security agreement that will allow the transfer of defence technology, he said.
“The US is one of the largest defence exporters for India and the world. At the same time, the defence manufacturing sector in India is growing at a rapid pace following the ‘Make in India’ motto of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Singh said.
He assured investors that the government was reforming the defence sector and urged them to take the maximum advantage of the reforms to invest in India.
“If you face any problem -- I repeat, if you face any problem, come to us. We will sort them out,” he said.
The US is already collaborating with Indian firms for the co-production of F-16 fighter planes, C-130 transport aircraft and Apache helicopters.
Rajnath also lauded the US-India Business Council (USIBC) for its role in improving bilateral trade ties.
Nisha Biswal, president of USIBC said the relationship between the two countries in the defence sector was growing rapidly and would strengthen the two great democracies of the world.
In June 2016, the US had designated India as “Major Defence Partner” intending to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.
