Modi-Trump hold talks; trade, defence, security on agenda

The P8I is the Indian version of the US' P8. The Indian Navy uses them for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

This is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft which was used extensively during the search-and-rescue operations of Bihar, Uttarakhand floods.

This is a multi-service, military-transport aircraft, that is primarily used to move heavy equipment, and troops anywhere in the world.

On 25 March 2019, the IAF formally inducted the CH 47 F(I)- Chinook heavy lift helicopters into its inventory at Air Force Station. As per the IAF, the helicopter has a fully integrated digital cockpit management system, advanced cargo handling capabilities and electronic warfare suite.

The IAF had signed a contract with the US Government and Boeing in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. The addition of AH-64 E (I) helicopter is a significant step towards modernisation of Indian Air Force’s helicopter fleet. The helicopter has the capability to carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile airspace with threats from ground.

The American leader's first official visit to India, the world's biggest democracy, has gone out of its way to showcase the chemistry between them.

In Ahmedabad, large billboards with the words 'two dynamic personalities, one momentous occasion' and 'two strong nations, one great friendship' have gone up across the city.

Trump, 73, and Modi, 69, both command crowds of adoring flag-waving supporters at rallies. A virtual cult of personality has emerged around them, with their faces and names at the centre of their political parties' campaigns.

A focus of Trump's administration has been his crackdown on migrants, including a travel ban that affects several Muslim-majority nations, among others, while critics charge that Modi has sought to differentiate Muslims from other immigrants through a contentious citizenship law that has sparked protests.

Both promote their countries' nationalist and trade protectionist movements -- Trump with his "America First" clarion call and Modi with his "Make in India" mantra.

While they head the world's largest democracies, critics have described the pair as part of a global club of strongmen that includes Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro.

There are many qualities that Trump and Modi share -- a love for political grandstanding and an unshakable conviction that they can achieve the best solutions or deals.

Modi and Trump have sought to use their friendship to forge closer bonds between the two nations, even as they grapple with ongoing tensions over trade and defence.

Despite sharing many similarities in style and substance, analysts say there are some notable differences between the pair.

Modi is an insider who rose through the ranks of the BJP after starting out as a cadre in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Trump is a businessman and a political outsider who has in some sense taken over the Republican Party.

"Modi is a more conventional leader than is Trump in that he hasn't sought to revolutionise the office he holds in the way that Trump has," said Kugelman, a longtime observer of South Asian politics.

Genuine personal connections between leaders of both countries have helped to grow the partnership.

George Bush and Manmohan Singh, Barack Obama and Singh, Obama and Modi, now Modi and Trump -- there has been a strong chemistry in all these pairings that has clearly helped the relationship move forward.

Trump has also stood by the Indian leader during controversial decisions, including his revocation of autonomy for Kashmir and his order for jets to enter Pakistani territory following a suicide bombing.