Mattis May Return to US Without Any Big-Bucks Orders from India

New Delhi (Sputnik) — The visit of US defense secretary James Mattis to India has lost steam even before his arrival as it is highly unlikely that the two sides will make any significant announcement on defense deals. Sources in India’s Ministry of Defense told Sputnik that differences persist between the two sides on the proposed deal for the US-manufactured MQ-9B Guardian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and F-16 fighter jet. “In June this year, the US State Department approved the sale of twenty-two Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial System drones to India but it is non-lethal version. The proposal is not as per the expectation from the Indian side. The two sides are still trying to reconcile the differences,” source said. © AFP 2020 / INDRANIL MUKHERJEEUS Reluctance to Share Technology Likely to Derail Big Ticket Defense Deals with IndiaIndian Navy is in dire need of high-altitude, long-endurance drones which can be used for surveillance as well as in precision strike in Indian Ocean Region. However, the 22 UAVs offered by the US are non-lethal in nature which can fly non-stop for over 27 hours for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Therefore, the Indian Navy is now reportedly weighing an option on High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) from Israel, which India is quite familiar with. Israel is already supplying 10 Heron TP to India. Meanwhile, US firm Lockheed Martin has… Read full this story

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