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US national security adviser’s visit fuels hope for 126 fighter aircraft deal
US national security adviser’s visit fuels hope for 126 fighter aircraft deal
BY EDITOR AT 15 JULY, 2010, 3:12 PM
BY: TNN
US national security adviser Gen James Jones in his first preparatory talks for US President Barack Obama’s visit here in November spent some quality time with Air Chief Marshal P V Naik in a meeting that has rekindled interest in the humongous 126 fighter aircraft deal.
Jones met the PM and his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon on Wednesday. On Thursday, he is scheduled to meet home minister P Chidambaram, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, defence minister A K Antony and the Army and Navy chiefs. The US is very interested in the fighter deal, but the Air Force is reportedly still working on the report after the trials.
The visit — slated for the first week of November — is expected to sharpen the US and India’s focus on each other, particularly since the bilateral tiesseem to have developed some wrinkles of late.
The Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft is a $10.4-billion deal, and two US firms — Lockheed Martin and Boeing — are among the six foreign contenders to grab the lucrative project to supply 126 fighters to the Indian Air Force
US national security adviser’s visit fuels hope for 126 fighter aircraft deal
BY EDITOR AT 15 JULY, 2010, 3:12 PM
BY: TNN
US national security adviser Gen James Jones in his first preparatory talks for US President Barack Obama’s visit here in November spent some quality time with Air Chief Marshal P V Naik in a meeting that has rekindled interest in the humongous 126 fighter aircraft deal.
Jones met the PM and his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon on Wednesday. On Thursday, he is scheduled to meet home minister P Chidambaram, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, defence minister A K Antony and the Army and Navy chiefs. The US is very interested in the fighter deal, but the Air Force is reportedly still working on the report after the trials.
The visit — slated for the first week of November — is expected to sharpen the US and India’s focus on each other, particularly since the bilateral tiesseem to have developed some wrinkles of late.
The Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft is a $10.4-billion deal, and two US firms — Lockheed Martin and Boeing — are among the six foreign contenders to grab the lucrative project to supply 126 fighters to the Indian Air Force