During the visit, the minister will also meet the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan.

Strategic visit of the defense minister 

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will be on a four- day sanctioned visit to the US from August 23 to 26 during which he’s set to hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, the defense ministry said on Wednesday.

The Defence ministry in a statement said the visit comes in the background of the growing instigation in India- US relations and defense engagements at multiple situations.

“ The visit is anticipated to further consolidate and broaden the India- US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, ” it added.

Singh’s visit is taking place in less than a time after Singh and Austin held a bilateral meeting following the India- US 2 2 clerical dialogue, during which both sides explored ways and means to advance defense technology cooperation with common exploration in critical areas.

Discussion to be done during the visit

He’s slated to preside over a high- position symposium meeting with the US defense assistance on the ongoing and unborn defense collaborations and will also interact with the Indian community during the visit.

Officers privy to details of the visit, said Singh is also likely to visit many military installations in the US and expedite the deliveries of the GE- F404 spurt machines which power the indigenously- made Light Combat Aircraft( LCA) Tejas Mark- 1A fighter. Recent detainments in force of the machines from GE have affected the delivery schedule of Tejas spurts to the IAF.

The conversations are also likely to include other ongoing and likely high- end defense deals between the two countries, similar as progress on the agreement between General Electric( GE) Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited( HAL) to manufacture GE F- 414 spurt machines in India which would power the LCA MK 2 fighter spurts, MQ- 9B Bloodsucker drones, accommodations for which are still under progress. Accommodations for both have been progressing sluggishly, as per officers.

Conclusion 

The GE-HAL pact was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the White House in June last time, which followed Singh’s former bilateral meeting with Austin that concentrated on lesser cooperation on development of advanced technologies and common manufacturing of critical technologies.

Last time, a top government functionary had said that India is working on having 15 to 20 percent of indigenous content in the MQ- 9B High- Altitude long- abidance( HALE) UAVs, upping it from the eight to nine percent offered by General Atomics. Last time, the Defense Acquisition Council( DAC) had cleared the procurement of 31 UAVs — 15 for the Navy and eight each for the Army and the Indian Air Force( IAF) a week before PM Modi’s visit to the US.

Co-production of the Stryker army vehicles and the pikestaff Anti-Tank Guided Missiles( ATGM) on which India and the US have lately begun addresses — may also feature in the conversations during Singh’s visit. The development of army combat vehicles for India, is part of the defense assistance cooperation roadmap between the two countries.