New Delhi . Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to America. He attended the Quad Summit. He also held an important bilateral with US President Joe Biden. In this meeting, the two leaders talked about further strengthening the global and strategic alliance. India has purchased MQ-9B Guardian drones from the US for sky and sea security, which is included in the mega deal.
In this meeting, which focused especially on defense cooperation, the two leaders discussed several important agreements that will strengthen India-US peace and security. In the meeting with PM Modi, President Biden praised India’s purchase of 31 MQ9B drones. These advanced drones will enhance India’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. These include 16 drones Sky Guardian (for air security) and Sea Guardian (for maritime security). This move will help strengthen India’s security forces in land, sea and air.
The two leaders appreciated the India-US Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap. Under this roadmap, heavy equipment and weapons such as jet engines, ammunition and ground mobility systems are manufactured. This important cooperation will also focus on liquid robotics and India’s ocean defense engineering, production of unmanned surface vehicles to enhance maritime security.
The two leaders also discussed increasing cooperation in the cyber and space sector along with the advanced defense sector. The cyber engagement to be held in November 2024 will focus on threat information sharing, cyber security training and critical infrastructure protection. Apart from these, the US-India Advanced Domains Defense Deal held in May 2024 focused on several major exercises in the defense sector, which has given a boost to the space security sector.
As India and the US continue to expand their cooperation on defense strategies, this cooperation is expected to make the Indo-Pacific region more free and open. The focus on innovation, technology, and mutual defense will help enhance military cooperation between the two countries, global peace, and security.