India and the US are likely to finalise an agreement for the transfer of a vital aircraft technology, when US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter visits New Delhi on Tuesday.
The two sides would also be reviewing the progress made on the projects agreed upon during President Barrack Obamas visit to India in January this year, including the proposed co-development and co-production of military technologies. The Defence framework agreement, signed between the countries in 2005, is to come up for renewal, when Mr Carter sit across his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar for delegation level talks.
Mr Carter will be reaching New Delhi from Visakhapatnam, where he is to visit the Eastern Naval Command.
This is Mr Carters first visit to New Delhi after being elevated to the post of Secretary of Defence, though he travelled to India earlier as Deputy Secretary of Defence, by laying a strong pitch for the joint co-production of military hardware.
A comprehensive review of Defence Trade and Technology initiative (DTTI) would also form part of the Defence ministerial talks between the sides, sources in the Defence Ministry told UNI.
The agreement of aircraft carrier technology has the far reaching strategic importance, as this single piece of document would cement the ties between the countries for more than half a century to come.
Source from India Defence News.
