10-year defence deal between India, US in the works: Pentagon

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have agreed to finalise a new 10-year defence deal to boost ties between India and US. The decision was shared in a Pentagon statement on Wednesday, after the two leaders spoke over the phone. Both sides also discussed the pending US defence sales to India and highlighted the need for closer defence industrial cooperation.

The Pentagon added, "Secretary Hegseth emphasised the priority the United States places on India as its key defense partner in South Asia.’’

The Ministers also reviewed the progress made in meeting the defence goals set in the joint statement issued by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2025.

During the call, Singh urged Hegseth to fast track the delivery of GE F404 engines, which are meant to power the light combat Aircraft. Delays in the supply of engines has caused Hindustan Aeronautics [HAL] to miss deadlines for delivering Tejas jets to the Indian Air force.

Singh also pushed for early finalisation of a proposed deal between HAL and US defence major GE aerospace for joint production of F414 jet engines in India.

An Indian statement  said Singh and Hegseth discussed a broad range of topics including training and military exchanges, and expanding industry collaborations.

"They agreed to further build upon the momentum of this critical and mutually beneficial partnership across all its pillars such as interoperability, integration of defence industrial supply chains, logistics sharing, increased joint military exercises and cooperation with other like-minded partners," the  readout said.

(With PTI inputs)