Agreements in the defense and energy sectors. In addition to the demonstrated and implied common will to strengthen ties to contain China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific. United States And India they cemented theirs partnerships on multiple fronts and share the same global strategic priorities. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi It was hosted by Joe Biden at the White House, where an important meeting between the two took place. Not only because it was Modi’s first trip to the US since becoming India’s leader, but more importantly because of the results achieved.
Among the various agreements registered, the focus is on the one involving the purchase by New Delhi of around thirty units Mq-9b drones updated to be used partially in high altitude missions along the river Himalayan border, the same controversial and shared with Beijing. The transaction should bring Washington coffers an amount of about 3 billion dollars. In the eyes of the Indian government, the money is well spent, as the planes will be used primarily to patrol the vast areas of the China-India border in search of enemy troop movements.
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The U.S.-India Agreement on Drones
Until a few years ago, India relied heavily on human patrols to guard the disputed border. The situation changed 2020, as a clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers cooled relations between Delhi and Beijing, prompting both sides to step up deployments of troops, weapons and surveillance equipment. Of course, India is not a US security ally, but both countries share a deep distrust of Beijing.
That meant a major Cooperation This includes the exchange of information, arms sales and the joint production of arms. From this point of view, half of the Mq-9b drones should be delivered Indian Navywhile the rest are used by the Army and the USIndian Air Force for surveillance along the Sino-India border.
The purchase shows India’s increasingly determined efforts to keep an eye on the frontier where it faces a well-armed opponent. In short, India faces the difficult task of closely guarding the border so as not to be caught off guard by China’s next moves, officials said. New Delhi already operates and uses dozens of domestically and Israeli-made drones, many of which are equipped with advanced sensors and cameras satellite imagery to track the Dragon’s activities in the borderlands, gather information on rival troops and the use of weapons and infrastructure.
The meeting between Modi and Biden
The defense partnership between India and the United States demonstrates the mutual trust and shared strategic priorities of both countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made this clear during a press conference with Biden at the White House. “Our relationship includes technology transfers and greater cooperation in terms of industrial development and production,” he said, positively assessing the memorandum of understanding signed by US-based General Electric Aerospace and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on the production of engines for fighter jets Air force. “It is a historical agreement“This paves the way for new job opportunities in both countries and will give new impetus to our security cooperation in the years to come,” he concluded.
“We are two great nations, two great friends and two great powers,” with one of the “most crucial partnerships of the 21st century” and “the strongest, closest and most dynamic of all time,” Biden added, referring to the relationship between India and the United States. By the way, Modi’s visit falls under the diplomatic cloth that the American President is working to strengthen alliances against China and Russia.
After some delicate legal knots, the US and India have signed an agreement on drones and one for drone production on Indian territory F414 engines for General Electric’s new fighter jets, which envisages the sharing of top-secret technology and would strengthen the link between the two countries’ defense systems. US giant Micron will then invest $800 million in a semiconductor factory in Modi’s home state of Gujarat to diversify the industry’s supply chain and free it from dependence on China. Over 2 billion in investments will come from Indian companies. A space cooperation agreement is also planned for a mission to the ISS and for Artemis, the project to bring man back to the moon.
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