Govt may clear deal for combat choppers
While the navy needs at least 100 such multi-role helicopters, the government has decided to go for the outright purchase of 24 anti-submarine warfare helicopters from US.
There is also the possibility of India placing a follow-up order for 12 more Boeing P 8I maritime surveillance aircraft at a later stage for the Indian Navy in a bid to boost its reconnaissance capabilities on high seas, the officials added.
Although preparations for the two plus two dialogue have begun in the earnest in Delhi, the COMCASA agreement will have to wait for later this year after the Indian side conveyed some concerns on the foundational agreement related to military operations. While both sides have broadly agreed to the text of the key foundational agreement, visiting senior Pentagon official Joseph Felter was briefed about India’s concerns and the way for- ward. The meetings on COMCASA took place on June 19-20.
Senior government officials did not rule out the possibility of US Defence Secretary James Mattis visiting India later this year to sign the COMCASA agreement.
However, the focus of the two plus two dialogue will be on how India, a major defence ally of the US, will avoid getting hit by the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CATSA) over its future purchases of military hardware from Russia.