NEW DELHI — India is closer to accessing the latest American technology for launching warplanes from carriers as Prime Minister Narendra Modi deepens defense ties with the United States to help counter China's growing naval power.
The odds of U.S. government permission to export the system to India probably rose after President Barack Obama and Modi said they'd explore ways of sharing aircraft carrier technology, said Vivek Lall, the chief executive for U.S. and international commercial strategic development at San Diego-based General Atomics Electromagnetics. The company pioneered the technique.
"A lot of progress has been made on the defense side," Lall said in an interview in New Delhi on Tuesday, Jan. 27, during a visit to India as part of a business delegation traveling with Obama. "We're actually now identifying real technologies that are required and where the U.S. could contribute."
China poses challenges for Modi along a disputed land border as well as at sea, sending submarines to a Sri Lankan port near India's coast last year in a show of power. Modi's response is faster military modernization, including a $20 billion blitz of approvals for arms purchases since coming to office in May. India and the U.S. are taking defense ties to a new level, Modi said on Sunday, Jan. 25, after a summit with Obama.
The General Atomics launch system can be used for a variety of warplanes, including jets and drones, unlike existing technology that's more restrictive, Lall said, adding the company would need U.S. navy and official export clearance.
"We are pleased with the presidential announcement regarding the establishment of a bilateral working group on aircraft carrier technology sharing and design, and we are looking forward to exploring this extraordinary area of opportunity with our Indian counterparts," said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jeffrey Pool, a Pentagon spokesman.
Nungsanglemba Ao, an Indian defense ministry spokesman, declined to comment about the possibility of India requesting the launcher technology from the U.S.
India has two aircraft carriers, both decades old: one was obtained from Britain's Royal Navy and the other is a refitted Russian vessel. A third, indigenously-made carrier is under construction, and two more are planned by 2027.
India intends to operate at least three carrier battle groups in the next 15 years to protect its maritime interests, Admiral R.K. Dhowan said in New Delhi in August 2013. He was the vice chief at the time and now heads the navy.
The existing carriers have a ski-jump design that depends on a warplane's own thrust to get it aloft, limiting the jets that can be deployed. The General Atomics system uses electromagnetic force to help propel planes into the sky. It's being fitted to the Gerald R. Ford, the latest generation of U.S. carrier.
General Atomics and its affiliates specialize in technology ranging from electromagnetic systems to unmanned vehicles such as the Predator drone. U.S. lawmakers have tentatively approved its proposal to sell unarmed Predators to the United Arab Emirates, the first sale of the reconnaissance aircraft outside the North Atlantic alliance.
Obama and Modi renewed an India-U.S. defense cooperation framework for a decade, and emphasized the potential for technological collaboration. A joint India-U.S. statement flagged the need to safeguard maritime security in the South China Sea, where neither has territorial claims.
China, which boasts one of Asia's largest navies, responded by saying non-claimants should butt out. The Chinese fleet includes stealthy, almost impossible-to-detect submarines capable of carrying nuclear missiles.
"What the U.S. has done during Obama's visit, in terms of expressing intent to sharing its aircraft carrier technology with India, is a huge signal to China, even a warning, that it's willing to work with India," said Surya Gangadharan, an independent security analyst in New Delhi.
India, the world's largest importer of major weapons, is the biggest defense export market for the U.S. Modi, trying to spur domestic production, boosted the cap on foreign-direct investment in defense to 49 percent from 26 percent last year.
His efforts to accelerate spending on arms and overcome a history of corruption scandals that slowed military purchases are stirring interest.
Larsen & Toubro Ltd., India's largest engineering business, said last month that Europe's Airbus Group NV is assessing whether to boost its stake in their defense joint venture. Boeing Co. is already looking for investment options.
BAE Systems, Europe's largest defense company, said this month it's given India the option of making howitzers locally to help conclude a deal that would equip an army strike force patrolling the Chinese border with the weapons.
Lall said there's potential for General Atomics to establish a joint venture with an Indian counterpart.
"We've been talking to several companies," he said. "There's a perceptive change in the U.S. that I see on their attitude towards India. The new government has taken some steps in the right direction from the policy framework standpoint. Companies have re-energized in terms of their India strategy."
Reported with assistance from Tony Capaccio in Washington.
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