As China keeps escalating tensions in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) against India and in the South China Sea, talks are being held for the co-development programme for the air-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to a top Pentagon official, the TOI reported
Top Pentagon official and under-secretary of defence Ellen M Lord who addressed in the India Ideas Summit organised by the US-India Business Council said, “I would like to highlight a very exciting project we are currently negotiating- air-launched unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV will be a co-development programme between the US Air Force research labs, the Indian Air Force, India’s Defense Research and Development Organisation, and an Indian startup company,”.
Lord is the Pentagon’s point person for the ambitious US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), and as the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, she said that the US-India defence cooperation has gotten deeper in the last few years.
As American looks for nations to partner to provide stability in the Indo-Pacific region, India is the natural choice to stop the unbridled march of China who wants total domination.
That is why in the last few months, the cooperation between India and the United States has increased.
The under-secretary also pointed out that in the last 10 years the sale of military hardware has exponentially and the US wants to become India’s first choice in defence solutions.
Lord further added, “The industrial cooperation is a key focus area for the future of defence collaboration and we think that this industry guidance will increase industrial collaboration within the DDTI framework,”. The United States welcomes any partnership that enhances US national security objectives, decreases defence procurement costs and leads to greater supply chain stability,”.
The US government according to Lord, have reviewed on India’s defence procurement procedure or DPP, and Lord said, “The United States is aware that many countries, including India, use offset in defence sales. The US government will not take part in any negotiation concerning offsets between the industry and a foreign government. “We encourage all governments to ensure that offset processes are transparent and applied equally to all competitors”.