The landmark agreement between India and the United States to co-produce fighter jet engines has been hailed as "revolutionary" by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The deal, paving the way for advanced military technology collaboration, underscores the deepening strategic partnership between the two nations.
Addressing lawmakers on Wednesday, Secretary Austin emphasized the significance of the deal, which was struck during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the US last June. General Electric and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited signed a memorandum of understanding outlining plans to manufacture fighter jet engines within India.
"We recently have enabled India to produce a jet weapon, a jet engine in India. And that's kind of revolutionary. That will provide a great capability to them," Austin told the House Appropriations Subcommittee, highlighting the robust US-India relationship.
The Defense Secretary further noted the ongoing co-production of an armored vehicle with India, calling the level of collaboration "probably more than we have seen happen in that region in a very, very long time."
