The United States will compete for multi-billion dollar deals to sell multi-role combat aircraft to India in a bid to further firm up ties with New Delhi after the landmark nuclear deal.
"This nuclear agreement is a significant step ahead. The next opportunity to take the step ahead beyond the nuclear agreement is the competition in India for multi-role combat aircraft because historically the US has not been able to compete for Indian defence procurement," US Under Secretary of Commerce Franklin Lavin said on Friday.
Addressing a meeting jointly organised by the Woodrow Wilson Centre and the Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Lavin said, "Now it's a new era, it's is a new relationship, the defence relationship is improving. We have had a number of discussions with counterparts in the Indian side and our major providers intend to compete for this."
Lavin argued that with India looking for the best frontline combat aircraft in the world, it would force the US to look for ways to move the relationship forward.
"I would argue that this is a healthy exercise," he said.
Lavin favoured reassessment of the US export control policies to enable American companies to bid for Indian contracts.
"From the Indian perspective, they have access to very fine products and from a US perceptive, this helps our system think through this licensing and export control system because they have a specific proposal in front of them that they have to respond to. So that is a healthy development as well," he said.
