USA Administration must go for drone deal and do some defence diplomacy

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US last June there were announcements for likely two major defence deals: the manufacturing of General Electric F-414 jet engines in India through technology transfer and the acquisition of General Atomics MQ-9B drones.

Naturally these deals must go through detailed technical and bureaucratic scrutiny on both sides involving comprehensive negotiations ranging from price to licensing, transfer of technology where involved, maintenance, spares and training to warranties.

The above is pure business procedure of any market deal. However the Americans tend to entangle such deals in their political web. They forget the fact that Bharat is not taking any military aid but paying in hard currency. So once the deal is agreed in Principle then no political shenanigans will be tolerated by Bharat.

The days of CAASTA threats working on Bharat are long over. The American Congress and the Administration should not even in their dreams think of taking these two deals along the same route as the sale of F16 to Pakistan or Turkey.

Thank God the US Congress has given its approval for the drone deal earlier this month, its good for America. Nonetheless, there seem to be many other hurdles remaining before the deal reaches the finish line.

For one, both sides are entering their Central Elections, Bharat for its Lok Sabha and USA for its Rashtrapati. By the time a new government is formed in New Delhi, the Americans will be in frenzy in Washington. Hence, it is in USA’s interest that both these deals get sealed fast.

Biden’s fast actions will not only keep India involved in the Indo Pacific but will also let his Democrats can get into the good books of the Indian American community. On its part Bharat can overlook the USA Administration’s inaction on that American terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Panun, at least for the time being.

According to a Carnegie Endowment report, the Indian-American population in key swing states was larger than the victory margin in the 2016 elections. Hence, neither Biden nor Trump can write them off. Indian-Americans, comprise roughly 1 per cent of US voters and have historically strong ties to the Democratic party.

New Delhi is certainly not happy with USA Administrations criticism over article 370 in Kashmir, S400 deal with Moscow, purchase of Russian Oil and other issues like Ukraine conflict but now Bharat has no need to engage with such trash criticism from either the Democrats or the Republicans.

However a quick timely closure of the drone deal on USA’s part can establish a positive narrative that the USA in future can effectively work with Bharat. The happy ending of this deal should be just another occasion to engage for the future.

Interestingly both the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force have already shown interest in the indigenously designed and developed Tapas medium altitude long endurance drone. The Indian Navy and Air Force have held discussions and communicated with the Defence Research and Development Organisation regarding the capabilities of the drone and the roles it can perform in the services.

The DRDO is also likely to hand over the two Tapas drones in its inventory to the Indian Navy for trials and testing in the Andaman and Nicobar Island territory. In case the trials are successful and meet the roles for which the force wants them, there is a possibility of the Indian Navy placing orders for around 10-12 drones, immediately.

The Tapas drones have been tested by the defence forces and during the trials, they managed to reach 28,000 feet altitude and could fly for over 18 hours, they said. DRDO officials said the laboratory concerned would be working on improving designs and increasing the power in the drone to make it more suitable for service requirements of altitude and endurance, which it was not able to meet in the recent evaluations.

After all the MQ9 Predators are just gap fillers and so is the GE jet fighter engine. So the Yanks should ensure the deal, ensure jobs for their countrymen, make some profit and also keep Bharat happy and on their side.