Trump announces $3B defense deal with India

NEW DELHI — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that India has signed a deal to purchase more than $3 billion of advanced military equipment, including helicopters.

The announcement comes as the president visits with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Asian nation.

Trump also said the two leaders made progress on what he describes as a “comprehensive trade deal" after bilateral talks.

Modi, meanwhile, said the two had a productive exchange on issues including defense cooperation, energy and technology, adding that talks will continue.

He also said that he and Trump have now met five times over the past eight months, noting that ties between the two nations is the “most important partnership of the 21st century."

Credits: www.defensenews.com

Comments

Dutch defense chief opens door for more F-35s

Visitors examine a replica of the Dutch F-35C Lightning II joint striker fighter aircraft during the Dutch Air Force Days at Leeuwarden Air Base in Leeuwarden on June 10, 2016. (Photo credit Vincent Jannink/AFP/Getty Images) COLOGNE, Germany – Dutch defense minister Ank Bijleveld has eliminated the country’s budget cap for F-35 purchases, opening the possibility of buying more planes in the future, a spokesman confirmed to Defense News. The defense ministry spokesman described the move as “just a formality” that would not require parliamentary approval, as the Dutch objective of buying 37 copies of the Lockheed Martin-made jet for €4.7 billion remains in place. But it means “we leave the option open to buy new planes” beyond those already envisioned in the budget, the spokesman said. The development was first reported by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, which wrote that the air force was angling to eventually get 67 aircraft. That amount would be enough to field fou...

US, Russia remain at ‘impasse’ over Open Skies treaty flights

WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia continue to be at odds with each other over a military verification treaty, to the point where no flights have been conducted in 2018. The latest issue with the Open Skies Treaty came to light earlier this week, with Russian officials saying the U.S. has refused to clear its planes for overflight of U.S. territory. Under the treaty, 34 countries, including both the U.S. and Russia, agree to allow unarmed surveillance flights over their territory to provide information gathering about military forces. “In breach of the Open Skies Treaty provisions, the head of the U.S. delegation refused to sign the final document, without giving any explanations or reasons, and citing direct instructions from Washington,” said Sergei Ryzhkov, the chief of Russia’s Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, according to the Tass news agency. “We insist that the U.S. side return to the Open Skies Treaty framework and demand that the current situat...

Russia blames Israel after military plane shot down off Syria

The Il-20 aircraft was returning to a Russian base on the north-western coast of Syria (file photo) Russia has said Syria shot down one of its military planes - but laid the blame for the deaths of the 15 personnel on board with Israel. The defence ministry said Israeli jets put the Il-20 plane into the path of Syrian air defence systems on Monday after failing to give Moscow enough warning of a strike on Syrian targets. The Il-20 disappeared off the radar at about 23:00 local time (20:00 GMT). The Israel Defence Force (IDF) has expressed "sorrow" over the deaths. However, in a statement released on Twitter, it added: "Israel holds the [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad regime, whose military shot down the Russian plane, fully responsible for this incident." It went on to say its jets were back in Israeli airspace by the time the missiles were launched. Israel - which also blamed Iran and Hezbollah - rarely acknowledges carrying out strikes on Syria...

World Defense News

Search This Blog