The United States and India took a major step to expand defense ties Thursday, signing a deal that allows India to acquire high-end U.S. weaponry, including armed Guardian drones.
The agreement was signed during a meeting in New Delhi among U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and their Indian counterparts.
“The landmark agreement deepens our military to military cooperation and our ability to share the most advanced defense technology, making us both stronger,” Mattis said.
If the Guardian sale goes through, India would become the first non-NATO country to buy armed U.S. drones.
The deal reflects growing ties between the U.S. and India – the world’s two largest democracies – both of whom are concerned about China’s rising power.
Most of India’s weapons are Russian-made, a legacy of India’s Cold War relationship with the Soviet Union. But U.S. military sales to India have expanded rapidly – going from zero in 2008 to $15 billion this year. That figure now stands to increase, with the new agreement in place.
The U.S. is currently India’s second-largest weapons supplier.
The U.S. and India also agreed to hold a new military exercise. The exercise will involve sea, land, and air forces. It will occur of the eastern coast of India in 2019.
美国和印度星期四签署一项协议，允许印度获得包括武装无人机“卫士”在内的高端美国武器，为双方扩大军事关系迈出重大一步。
协议是在美国国防部长马蒂斯、国务卿蓬佩奥与印度防长及外长在新德里会晤时签署的。
马蒂斯说， “这份具有里程碑意义的协议加深了我们军方之间的合作，以及我们分享最先进国防技术的能力，让我们两国都更强大。”
如果“卫士”无人机的销售成交，印度将成为第一个购买美国武装无人机的非北约国家。
这一协议反映出美印关系日益增长。这两国全球最大的民主国家都在关注中国力量的崛起。
印度的大多数武器都是俄罗斯制造的，这是印度与前苏联在冷战时期的关系遗留下来的。不过美国对印度的军火销售迅速增加 ，从2008年的零增加到今年的150亿美元。美国目前是印度第二大武器供应国。
美国和印度也同意举行一次新的军事演习。演习将包括海、陆、空军，将于2019年在印度东海岸举行。