Defence boost at Modi-Trump meet: Co-production of Stryker, Javelin, additional P-8Is confirmed
NEW DELHI: In their bilateral meeting at Washington DC, Indian Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump announced to “pursue the procurement and co-production of Javelin ATGM and Stryker ICV in India to meet the country's defence requirements.”
The procurement for six additional P-8I Maritime Patrol aircraft was also agreed which they said will “enhance India’s maritime surveillance reach in the Indian Ocean Region following agreement on sale terms.” The deal was in process for three years.
The Indian Navy (IN) acquired the first batch of eight P-8I aircraft in 2013 that are stationed at INS Rajali, Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, as part of the Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 312 “Albatross”. The second batch of four additional aircraft based at INS Hansa, Goa as part of (INAS) 316 “Condors”.
The earlier two deals, 2009 & 2016, were worth USD 3.2 billion. These patrol aircraft are equipped with multi-mode radars and advanced electro-optic sensors. Harpoon Block-II missiles, MK-54 lightweight torpedoes, rockets and depth charges are also fitted in the aircraft.
The P8Is are Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft.
These are compatible for long range surveillance, electronic warfare, imagery intelligence, ASW missions and Search & Rescue operations, armed with the state-of-the-art mission suite and sensors.
This announcement of co-production of the Stryker ICV is meant to be part of the Indian Army’s initiatives to procure 530 units for ten mechanized infantry Regiments.
The negotiations between the two countries have been going on for a few months and in the process, in 2024, Stryker ICV carried out demonstrations in high-altitude of Ladakh.
Indian Army plan is to replace the BMP-II Sarath fleet of the Indian Army which operates as reconnaissance-and-support and mechanized infantry units. The Stryker ICV is expected to be used for the aforementioned roles.
Coming to the Stryker Vehicle it is powered by a 350-horsepower engine and has a 30 mm cannon and a 105 mm mobile gun. It can dash upto a top speed of 97 km/h and has a base protection against 14.5 mm armor-piercing rounds. It has an endurance of around 480 km.
Operated by a two-person crew, It can carry a nine-man infantry squad but it, as of now Stryker, is not capable of amphibious tasks.
With the recent deployment of the Indian Army’s Tanks in the valleys along the northern borders, there had been initiatives to arm them with potent ATGMs.
Javelin is an infrared-guided man-portable anti-tank missile system which is designed to destroy tanks and other armoured targets from a shoulder-fired position. It locks onto its target before launch and its "fire-and-forget" capability. While it takes around a minute to reload and reacquire targets, it can be used in direct attack mode to destroy a target or, and, can bring down a low-flying aircraft like a helicopter and drones, as can be also fired up in air.
The 1.2 meters long Javelin ATG Missile weighs around 22.1 kilograms, is packed with a tandem-charge, high-explosive antitank (HEAT) warhead and has a maximum range of 2.5-km.
Indian Armed Forces’ current inventory includes the US manufactured C‑130J Super Hercules, C‑17 Globemaster III, P‑8I Poseidon aircraft; CH‑47F Chinooks, MH‑60R Seahawks, and AH‑64E Apaches; Harpoon anti-ship missiles; M777 howitzers; and MQ‑9Bs.
Narendra Modi and Donald Trump determined that the U.S. would expand defense sales and co-production with India to strengthen interoperability and defense industrial cooperation.
The leaders pledged to accelerate defense technology cooperation across space, air defense, missile, maritime and undersea technologies. The U.S. has also announced a review of its policy on releasing fifth generation fighters and undersea systems to India.
