Washington: The US State Department expressed optimism about the proposed drone deal with India, emphasising its “significant potential” to advance strategic technology cooperation.

The deal was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit last year, marking substantial growth in the US-India defence partnership over the past decade.

Matthew Miller, juru bicara Departemen Luar Negeri AS, menyoroti pentingnya perjanjian tersebut dalam memajukan kerja sama teknologi strategis dengan India dan meningkatkan kolaborasi militer di kawasan.

While addressing the media, Miller said, “So I’ll say that generally, the US-India Defence Partnership has seen significant growth over the past decade. This is a proposed sale that was announced during Prime Minister Modi’s visit last year.”

“We believe it offers significant potential to further advance strategic technology cooperation with India and military cooperation in the region,” he added.

Ia juga mengakui peran penting Kongres dalam proses transfer senjata, menekankan konsultasi rutin dengan anggota Kongres mengenai komite urusan luar negeri sebelum pemberitahuan resmi.

“Of course, Congress plays an important role in the US arms transfer process. We routinely consult with members of Congress on the foreign affairs committees before our formal notification so we can address questions that they might have. But I don’t have any comment on when that formal notification might take place,” Miller also said.

Kesepakatan drone yang diusulkan adalah bagian dari upaya yang lebih luas untuk memperkuat hubungan pertahanan antara Amerika Serikat dan India.

In June 2023, US President Joe Biden and PM Modi welcomed India’s plans to procure Predator drones made by General Atomics, a mega pact that will allow American Navy ships to undertake major repairs at Indian shipyards.

President Biden and PM Modi welcomed India’s plans to procure General Atomics MQ-9B HALE UAVs. The MQ-9Bs, assembled in India, will enhance the ISR capabilities of India’s armed forces across domains. As part of this plan, General Atomics will also establish a comprehensive global MRO facility in India, according to the US-India joint statement.

Perjanjian tersebut akan memperkuat kemampuan keamanan dan pengawasan nasional India, melampaui Samudera Hindia dan mencakup wilayah perbatasan dengan China.

India shares vast maritime and land boundaries with two major adversaries–Pakistan and China–and requires constant monitoring of their activities to safeguard its national security interests.

The Quad grouping of countries – the United States, India, Australia and Japan – all operate, or have operated, the MQ-9B SeaGuardian. Currently, India is leasing MQ-9Bs as part of an intelligence-gathering operation.

Predator, juga disebut MQ-9 Reaper, dapat terbang hingga 36 jam berturut-turut dan dapat digunakan untuk pemantauan terfokus pada titik atau area minat tertentu.

Sebanyak 31 drone Predator, yang akan segera diakuisisi oleh India dari AS, akan dioperasikan bersama oleh tri-services.

Presiden Biden dan Perdana Menteri Modi juga memuji penandatanganan MoU antara General Electric dan Hindustan Aeronautics Limited untuk pembuatan mesin jet GE F-414 di India, untuk Pesawat Tempur Ringan Hindustan Aeronautics Limited TEJAS MK-2, tambah pernyataan itu. .