India, US discuss defence ties, military hardware cooperation

New Delhi: India and the United States on Wednesday discussed ways of further strengthening their defence ties during the 18th Defence Policy Group meeting held in New Delhi.

During the meeting, led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, the two sides also held important discussions on important ongoing defence deals, including the Indian plans for acquiring six more P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

"The 18th India-US Defence Policy Group meeting was held in New Delhi today. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby co-chaired the talks. Both sides reviewed ongoing initiatives, identified priority areas for co-development & co-production of defence equipment, and reaffirmed commitment to enhancing military-to-military cooperation through joint exercises, training visits & strategic exchanges," the Ministry of Defence said.


The two sides also held discussions on the Excalibur precision-guided artillery ammunition for which India has signed a Rs 300 crore deal under the emergency procurement route.

The Indian side asked the American officials to ensure that the precision-guided shells are provided to the Indian Army on time.

India is also looking to sign the deal for buying Javelin anti-tank guided missiles from the US through the emergency route.

The Indian Navy is in discussion with the Americans for the procurement of six more P-8I surveillance aircraft.

The Rs 30,000 crore deal has been in negotiations for some time now and is likely to be acquired soon.