India May Sign $4 Billion Patrol Jet Deal with the United States as Trade Talks Resume

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Officials from New Delhi said that India is expecting a visit from the US Defence Department and Boeing Co.executives to negotiate the $4 billion aircraft deal. This was mentioned in a report published by Bloomberg.

It also said that both India and the US are looking forward to resuming the trade talks that have been halted since the US imposed heavy tariffs on Indian goods. If the deal goes well, India aims to increase its purchase of military equipment from the US in the future.

India Set to Purchase Patrol Aircraft from the US

The procurement was cleared in 2019; however, it has been stalled for some reason. These patrol aircraft were a part of New Delhi’s vision to strengthen surveillance across the Indian Ocean. 

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India has long wanted to minimize its dependency on Russian equipment; the country has a history of importing over 72% of arms from Russia alone. However, in recent years, this figure has decreased to 36%. Today, India imports arms from different countries like France, Israel, and the US.

Speaking of the current patrol aircraft, India already owns 12 P-8Is. Eight were purchased in 2009 for $2.2 billion, and the remaining four were bought after 10 years. These patrol aircraft are presently located near Tamil Nadu to carry out important missions.

Since 2018, India has signed nearly $20 billion contracts with US suppliers, while its contracts with Russia have been considerably reduced.


What is the Purpose of P-8I Naval Patrol Aircraft?

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The P-8I naval patrol aircraft is designed as a multi-mission platform. It helps in the detection, tracking, and neutralization of hostile submarines and surface vessels using advanced sensors and weapons like torpedoes, depth charges, and anti-ship missiles.

Apart from this, it assists in humanitarian efforts by performing search-and-rescue missions over ocean areas. It is also capable of dropping life rafts and other survival equipment in case of emergency events like shipwrecks.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced that he would talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming weeks about the trade situation. This move signals that the intensity of the trade war between India and the US might reduce.