India and the US will advance the co-production of GE engines for the Tejas fighter jet and Stryker combat vehicles
India and the United States have agreed to prioritize co-production projects, including the GE F-414 engines for the Tejas Mk-2 aircraft, Stryker armored infantry combat vehicles, unmanned platforms, and munitions, as part of the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.
This agreement was reached during a meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin at the Pentagon on Friday.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) noted that they also discussed expanding cooperation in undersea and space domains and highlighted the ongoing implementation of the India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), which is set to hold its third summit in Silicon Valley this September.
The two nations had previously approved a business deal for General Electric (GE) Aerospace and defense contractor Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce GE F-414 turbofan jet engines in India. The GE wishes to retain ownership of the IPR in accordance with the ongoing negotiations.
It is necessary to finalize the details for the co-production of Stryker-armored infantry combat vehicles in India.
Sources had stated before Singh’s arrival that he would address the GE F-404 engines’ delivery delay to HAL, which needs to install in LCA Mk-1A aircraft for IAF procurement. It is anticipated that he will also complete the purchase of 31 MQ-9B predator drones for the military.
In their meeting, Minister Rajnath Singh and Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed a wide range of topics, including bilateral defense cooperation, industrial partnership, regional security, and other international concerns, according to a statement provided by the MoD here.
According to the Ministry’s statement, Singh “highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in the areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was adopted last year.”
Both, according to the MoD, expressed satisfaction with the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between the US and India coming to an end. Signed in Washington, DC, during Singh’s current tour, the SOSA promotes collaboration between the defense industry ecosystems of the two nations and strengthens supply chain resilience.
The Ministry stated that they were also pleased with the Memorandum of Agreement that the United States and India had signed regarding the deployment of liaison officers. As a result, India will send its first liaison officer to the US-based Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida.
Secretary Austin praised the Indian Navy’s significant efforts to maintain freedom of navigation and regional security by virtue of its membership in the Combined Maritime Forces, according to the US Department of Defense. He also expressed his pleasure at India taking the lead in Combined Task Force 150 in 2025.
The two discussed their joint efforts under the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative to give partners in the Indian Ocean Region access to unclassified, commercial satellite data to improve their maritime security and counterintelligence capabilities.
Along with discussing the changing geopolitical landscape and a few important regional security concerns, Defense Minister Singh also met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday at the White House in Washington, DC.
They also spoke about possible areas of cooperation between the two nations’ industries and the existing defence-related industrial collaboration projects between the US and India.
At a roundtable hosted in Washington, DC, by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, the Defense Minister also spoke with prominent figures from the US defense sector. According to the MoD, Singh “emphasized that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration and is ready with a skilled human resource base, a robust pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and a large domestic market.”
