India, US to push co-production of GE engines for Tejas, Stryker combat vehicles

India and United States (US) have agreed to advance priority co-production projects, such as that of GE F-414 which is supposed to power Tejas Mk-2 aircrafts, Stryker-armoured infantry combat vehicles, unamend platforms, and munitions under the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.

This bilateral development was arrived at during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin’s meeting at Pentagon on Friday.

“They further advanced discussions to expand cooperation in the undersea and space domains and welcomed ongoing implementation of the India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), which will convene its third summit in Silicon Valley this September,” the US Department of Defence (DoD) said in a readout.

The two countries had earlier given a nod to a commercial agreement between General Electric (GE) Aerospace and defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 turbofan jet engines in India. As per the negotiations going on, the GE wants to keep the IPR with themselves.

Stryker-armoured infantry combat vehicles will also be co-produced here in India for which the details have to be worked out.

Ahead of SIngh’s visit, sources had said that he would take up delay of supply of GE F-404 engines to HAL which has to fit them in LCA Mk-1A for acquisition by the IAF. He is also expected to finalise acquisition of 31 MQ-9Bs predator drones for armed forces.

As per a statement released by the MoD here, Minister Rajnath Singh and Secretary Lloyd Austin during their meeting held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security and other international issues.

“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,” the Ministry’s statement read.

Both, said the MoD, expressed happiness on the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between India and US. The SOSA signed in Washington DC during Singh’s ongoing trip, encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together, and enhances the supply chain resilience.

They also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and US regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers, said the Ministry. India will be accordingly deploying the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US.

Secretary Austin, as per the US DoD, lauded the Indian Navy’s robust contributions to upholding freedom of navigation and regional security through its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces and welcomed India assuming a leadership role in Combined Task Force 150 in 2025.

The two reviewed mutual efforts through the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative to provide Indian Ocean Region partners with unclassified, commercial satellite data to enhance their maritime security and ability to detect illicit activity.

Rajnath Jake Sullivan Meeting

Defence Minister Singh also met the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the White House in Washington DC on Friday to deliberate on the evolving geopolitical situation and certain key regional security issues.

They also discussed the ongoing defence industrial collaboration projects between India and US, and potential areas where the industries of the two countries could work together.

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The Defence Minister also interacted with the senior leaders of the US defence industry at a round-table organised by US India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington DC. Singh “emphasised that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration, and is ready with a skilled human resource base, robust pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and large domestic market,” Said the MoD.