The revival of American defense major General Electric (GE) offers to help develop the jet engine for India’s under-development Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) should be taken with a pinch of salt.
The US suspended the joint development of aircraft engines under the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTII) in October 2019. The timing of the offer amid two important geopolitical developments is suspicious.
Firstly, Washington has been pressing India to condemn Russia for its military intervention in Ukraine and suspend its burgeoning oil trade with Moscow. Secondly, the news of the offer came the same day as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Europe for the G7 meet.
The US Is Not A Reliable Defense Partner
Washington has actively supplied weapons to New Delhi worth $4 billion over the last decade, with no contracts having been inked through competitive tendering.
The M-777 lightweight howitzer; the AH-64E Apache attack helicopters; Chinook heavy-lift helicopter; C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift plane; the C-130J Hercules tactical airlift for the Indian Air Force (IAF), and; the P-8I Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft for the Indian Navy have all been through the direct Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route.
It bares the political economy of US weapons sales that circumvents competitive bidding. Naturally, it has also escaped joint manufacturing that entails more than a minimal level of technology transfer of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)....
Read Full Story: https://eurasiantimes.com/us-offers-critical-tech-to-develop-indias-5th-gen-fighter-jet-amca/?amp
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