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NEW DELHI — The United States will sell six additional C-130J Hercules airlifters to the Indian Air Force on a government-to-government basis, Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony was informed during a July 23 visit by U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.
India in 2008 bought six of the four-engine cargo planes, built by Lockheed Martin, in a $1.1 billion government-to-government deal.
Antony also asked Carter to find areas where the two countries can embark on joint ventures, sources said. India is keen to establish joint ventures with overseas defense companies, such as the Indo-Russian joint venture to produce the BrahMos missile, under which high-tech weaponry is produced for use by both countries.
India last year asked the United States to supply the six additional C-130J cargo planes, which are expected to cost about $1 billion.
Carter also held talks with Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon. He will travel to Hyderabad on July 24 and visit defense ventures operated by a U.S.-based helicopter maker, Sikorsky Aircraft, and Tata Group, a major domestic manufacturer.
Carter’s trip follows a visit in June by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Other U.S. officials on Carter’s trip include Mark Lippert, assistant secretary of defense for Asia-Pacific security affairs; Vice Adm. William Landay, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency; and Zachary Lemnios, assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering.
