US luring India with high tech weapons to further alienate Russia: WSJ

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Wall Street Journal
22 Jun 2023 15:37

The US is expected to sell India 2 dozen of SeaGuardian drones for $3 billion.

US President Joe Biden talks with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the opening of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 15, 2022 (AFP)

India is set to buy state-of-the-art drones from the US and cooperate in producing fighter jet engines in a new military deal between the two states whose details are set to be revealed after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the White House, The Wall Street Journal reported.

New Delhi has long been interested in the acquisition of the US' cutting-edge weapons and equipment, but Washington has been reluctant because of India's past and continued purchase of Russian weapons.

The US, however, has been prompted to develop a greater affinity with India in an effort to drive the Asian nation away from Russia and as part of its strategy to contain China's anti-hegemony influence.

India is set to purchase more than two dozen updated versions of the MQ-9B Reaper drones (i.e. SeaGuardians) for around $3 billion, the Journal reported, citing informed sources. They will reportedly also jointly manufacture General Electric F414 engines for India’s next generation of jet fighters.

The two countries are also discussing developing cooperation in logistics and intelligence-sharing, the paper added, citing Pentagon officials.

The General Electric F414 jet engines and the SeaGuardian drones stand as some of the US' cutting-edge technology and sharing it with India is indicative of increased trust between the two countries.

The deal suggests the beginning of a turning point in the relationship, analysts were cited as saying.

“This will be remembered as a substantial leap forward in U.S.-India defense relations,” said Jeff Smith, director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington.

“I don’t think this is the floodgates opening per se,” said Richard Rossow, chairman of US-India policy studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. “But it does show if we drive real hard in particular areas, we can accomplish things we weren’t able to before.”

Back in April, Joe Biden's top economic advisor said the US administration has "warned" India against aligning itself with Russia, and US officials said they have been disappointed with India's approach to the Ukraine situation.

“There are certainly areas where we have been disappointed by both China and India’s decisions, in the context of the invasion,” the director of the White House National Economic Council, Brian Deese.

The US warned India, saying that the consequences of a "more explicit strategic alignment" with Russia would be "significant and long-term."

So far, India has refused to comply with Western sanctions against Russia, refusing to vote at the United Nations to condemn the operation and even agreeing to purchase Russian oil at a discount. Though Indian authorities have called for a stop to the war in Ukraine and appealed for a peaceful conclusion, the government has not backed down before calling for tougher sanctions against Russia, not to mention that Russia is India's largest weapons exporter.