US industry to showcase advanced capabilities at DefExpo '14

WASHINGTON: The US-India Business Council is sending a high-powered delegation to India to participate in the DefExpo beginning Feb 6, seeking to boost industrial cooperation, and advance defence and strategic partnership between the two countries.

"The past decade has been a period in which our bilateral security ties have seen robust growth, not just in value, but in the level of technical capability," USIBC president Ron Somers said.

The delegation comprises over 20 senior executives from America's premier aerospace and defence companies seeking to enhance industrial partnerships with India and to meet India's growing security requirements.

The US defence industry is showcasing at the Expo advanced capabilities geared toward India's air, land, naval and internal security systems' needs.

Represented by top US defence companies, on display at the Expo will be best-in-class systems such as border protection and intelligence systems, night vision sensors, armoured security and light combat vehicles among others.

USIBC's Executive Mission is led by William Blair, president (Asia), Raytheon International Inc, and special military advisor and former Commander, US Army Security Assistance Command, Brig. Gen. (Retd.) Chris Tucker, vice president, Exelis Inc.

The mission is about looking forward - and the future is even brighter, full of the possibility of partnership, he said.

"Our respective armed forces will one day soon be using equipment that has been jointly designed, developed, and produced in both the United States and India. This speaks volumes about our partnership and that is why we are here today," Somers said.

Defence sales have risen from just over $200 million in 2001 to over $14 billion now.

"This remarkable growth in defence sales translates to thousands of high-skill jobs being created both in India and the United States, making it a win-win for both countries," he said.

Senior executives representing America's top defence companies will be present at DefExpo 2014.

"Our objective going forward is to ensure full-spectrum engagement across our respective defence industries and to find synergy in research and development, design, and production," said Rahul Madhavan, who leads the aerospace & defence sector with the USIBC.