The United States has approved a potential $52.8 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to India, including Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) sonobuoys and related equipment, which will help bolster its deterrence capabilities.
This announcement comes amid Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s four-day official visit to Washington to strengthen the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the U.S. and India.
The sale includes AN/SSQ-53G High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare (HAASW) sonobuoys, AN/SSQ-62F HAASW sonobuoys, AN/SSQ-36 sonobuoys, as well as technical publications, and other logistics. “The estimated total cost is $52.8 million,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a press release.
Deterrence Capabilities
This proposed sale aims to bolster US-India strategic relations and enhance India’s anti-submarine warfare and deterrence capabilities, particularly for its MH-60R helicopters.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the United States-India strategic relationship and improving the security of a major defense partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions,” the DSCA said.
“The proposed sale will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing its capacity to conduct anti-submarine warfare operations from its MH-60R helicopters. India will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” it added.
US-India Defence Ties
The news of the proposed sale came a day after India and the US signed two key agreements as Rajnath Singh began his official visit to Washington. The agreements signed on Thursday pertain to the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) and a Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers. On Friday, Singh met US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to review and further deepen the existing defence cooperation activities between the two countries.
“Excellent meeting with my dear friend @SecDef Lloyd Austin. We reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities and discussed ways to deepen it further. The signing of Security of Supply Arrangements and the agreement for positioning of Indian officers at key US commands are pathbreaking developments,” Singh said in a post on X.
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