By Kamal Shah
It would have been logical in the formative years of India’s freedom to have gravitated towards the American military hardware market. The world’s two largest democracies with similar bills of rights and a constitution with elected governance made sense.
But the Soviet and then Russian influence held sway instead and the wars against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 were fought with Russian made weapons.
The collapse and crippling of supply chains after the Ukraine war and a sudden disenchantment with things Russian have sent a new wind blowing through the corridors of the MoD. It had been gusting these past seven years but now the sails are full.
Not only has India moved away from Moscow’s hand me downs but is now positioning herself as the number one shopper in the world while strolling through a global catalogue.
The proximity between Washington and New Delhi was given a major boost through the establishment of QUAD. The Quad, short for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, involves strategic consultations and cooperation between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, with a focus on addressing common security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. It is a bulwark against Chinese adventurism in these waters and Indian support in containing the incursions is imperative. Add to this upswing in cooperation exercises like Malabar involving the United States, India, and Japan. It has been conducted annually and focuses on enhancing interoperability and maritime security.
The past few years have shown a fresh bonding not limited to the Chinook chopper deal or the purchase of Apache Longbow gunships. The US had tried extremely hard to make a deal for the F16s and F/A18 Hornets for the Indian Navy, even going as far as considering the sale of the F35 fighter.
Besides military purchase the two countries have opened several dialogue fronts.
In 2016, India and the United States signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement and India was declared a Major Defence Partner of the United States.
In 2018, India and the United States signed the COMCASA agreement, which allows for secure communications and data sharing between the two countries’ militaries.
In 2020, India and the United States signed the BECA agreement, which enables the exchange of geospatial information and enhances the accuracy of automated systems and weapons systems.
These are not surface niceties. They speak of a new dynamic and one where the narrative has a common purpose.
Just two weeks ago the 14th Edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise “VAJRA PRAHAR 2023” commenced at the Joint Training Node, Umroi. The US contingent is represented by personnel from the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) of US Special Forces. The Indian Army contingent is led by Special Forces personnel from the Eastern Command.
Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR is a joint exercise conducted between Indian Army and US Army Special Forces. It aims at sharing best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics.
Indian purchases from the US have included long-range maritime patrol aircraft, C-130 transport aircraft, missiles and drones.
US corporate support in the Make in India initiative is a given. In June 2023, the two countries signed a landmark deal designed to boost Indian defence manufacturing.
The major points of reference were:
• Call for greater technological cooperation
• US keenness to wean India away from dependence on Russia
• Also seeking counterbalance to China in Asian region
Another major deal has been in the offing and now has the green signal. The Predator series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is manufactured by General Atomics, an American aerospace and defence company. These drones are known for their long-endurance, high-altitude reconnaissance, surveillance, and precision strike capabilities. Through the year negotiations have been on to acquire a range of American weapons for the Navy. These would include Hellfire missiles and Mark 54 anti-submarine torpedoes for the MH-60 Romeo multirole helicopters. Negotiations are currently underway with the American authorities for the USD 300 million deal.
In 2017, it was reported that India was in discussions with the United States to acquire armed Predator drones to enhance its surveillance and precision strike capabilities. The discussions included the possible purchase of the MQ-9B Guardian, an advanced variant of the Predator series, for the Indian military.
The proposed acquisition of Predator drones by India has been driven by the country’s interest in bolstering its unmanned aerial capabilities for a range of military and security operations, including border surveillance, counterterrorism efforts, and maritime domain awareness. Under the proposed $3.5 billion deal, India will acquire 31 MQ9B high altitude, long endurance drones — 15 SeaGuardians for Navy and eight SkyGuardians each for Army and IAF.
Meanwhile HAL and GE have signed on to domestically assemble F 414 engines that will power the Tejas Mk 2.
Things, as they say, are certainly looking up. Following PM Modi’s visit to President Biden earlier in the year the two leaders are on the same page. The signing of the US-India defence partnership in June 2023 has emerged as a pillar of global peace and security.
It has taken an exceptionally long time and while there might be some fallout from a Russian sulk on the current equipment and weaponry in India’s forces the future does look state of the art.
