USA and India sign Project Agreement for Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Recently India and the United States of America have signed a project agreement for ‘Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV)’.
The project-agreement for ALUAV is included under the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).
Under DTTI, there are 2 categories of projects:
- The first pertains to industry-to-industry projects, which are facilitated by export licences, and the second pertains to projects that are finalized through project agreements (PAs).
- The PA pact falls under the ambit of the Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation (RDT&E) agreement between the two sides that was first signed in 2006 and renewed in January 2015.
India-USA Defense Relations
- In the year 2016, the United States named India as a major defense partner. It was upgraded to Strategic Trade Authority Tier-I status in the year 2018.
- A 2+2 dialogue is conducted between the Defense and Foreign Ministers.
- India has signed four basic defense agreements with the United States.
- General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in the year 2002 on the exchange of military information.
- Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) to use each other’s military bases in the year 2016.
- Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018 for interoperability between the two armies and sale of high technology to India.
- The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in the year 2020 to share high-level military technology, logistics and geospatial maps.
Source – The Hindu
