This will be the sixth meeting between the two defence ministers.
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Mr Parrikar would have bilateral talks with his United States counterpart Ashton Carter tomorrow on entire gamut of defence ties between the two countries including the unmanned drone systems for the Indian Armed forces and progress in talks on jet engine technology. In the past, the United States has shied away from offering its armed predator drones to India, which has been used in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Defense Minister is expected to point to Pakistan’s inaction against militant groups like Lashkar-eTaibi (LeT) and Jaish-eMuhammad (JeM) that pose a direct threat to the national security of India in order to justify the transfer of drone technology.
Discussing the “Major Defense Partner” designation, the two sides agreed on the importance this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation.
One of the key takeaways from this visit would be the signing of the “Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement” (LEMOA). He would also interact with American defence industry representatives at an event organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC).
The agreement was announced during the visit of Carter to India in April this year.
More than 600 aircraft and as many as 1,000 US airmen were lost during World War II in India’s eastern Himalayas – a treacherous stretch of 15,000-foot mountain peaks known as “The Hump”.
India is also hoping to convince the usa to provide India with the rights to manufacture the U.S. fighter jet under “Make in India” initiative of the present government.
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On Wednesday, he will be visiting the Boeing facility in Philadelphia, sources said.
