Rajnath Singh to visit US from August 23-26, hold discussions with DS Lloyd Austin, NSA Jake Sullivan
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to embark on a four-day visit to the United States beginning Friday, aiming for a series of defence deals. During his stay in Washington, Singh is scheduled to hold discussions with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. “The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” said Indian officials.
Rajnath Singh will be US from August 23 to August 26 and the key agenda of the meetings will be on the procurement of predator drones, joint manufacture of Stryker ICVs, and co-production of GE F414 engines in India…India plans to acquire 31 MQ-9B Predators, including 15 for the Indian Navy and eight each for the Indian Army and Air Force, at an estimated cost of $4 billion. The first deliveries are anticipated by the end of 2026. The Indian Navy, which already operates two sea guardians, has expressed satisfaction with their reconnaissance capabilities. The MQ-9B, manufactured by General Atomics, boasts a range of approximately 1,800 km and is currently in use by the US Air Force and NATO allies.
Joint-manufacturing of Stryker ICVs is the second agenda of US-India Defence Ministers’ high-level talks. India and the United States are in advanced talks to jointly manufacture the latest generation of Stryker armoured infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) as part of their defence-industrial cooperation roadmap. Indian Army is considering the procurement of approximately 530 infantry combat vehicles (ICVs).
Co-production of GE F414 engines in India is also a major item in the India-US talks. Last June, GE Aerospace announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to co-produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. The F414 engines are designated for use in the indigenous Tejas Mark-2 fighter jets. The GE-HAL deal, which requires approval from the US government and legislature, is anticipated to see full-scale production of F414 engines in India and the Tejas Mark 2 beginning early in the next decade. In addition to these discussions, Rajnath Singh will chair a high-level roundtable meeting with representatives from the US defence industry, focusing on ongoing and future defence collaborations.
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