Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Friday said there has been “no spillover effect” from the ongoing trade tensions between India and the United States, emphasising that defence collaboration between the two countries has continued unhindered despite the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs.
“On defence, there is no spillover effect from the trade tension that you mentioned. I think those trade tensions are also easing now, and we have resumed our negotiations with them. Hopefully, it will be successful. Our defence collaboration and talks have continued even during that period,” Singh said while addressing a press conference.
The press conference was held on the sidelines of the Southern Command Defence Tech Seminar (STRIDE 2025), where Singh highlighted several recent examples of India-US defence cooperation. These included the induction of the first batch of Apache helicopters into the Indian Army’s Aviation fleet and the delivery of engines for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A from General Electric (GE).
“Engines from General Electric for the light combat aircraft are also being delivered. We have delegation-level talks, 2+2 talks which were undertaken recently and are ongoing. During this period, they also delivered two Apaches to the Indian Army,” said Singh.
In a major development, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Thursday announced that it had received the third GE404 engine for the LCA Mk1A. Another engine is scheduled for delivery by the end of September 2025. The LCA Mk1A is an advanced multi-role fighter jet designed to replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing MiG-21 fleet.
On July 22, the Indian Army received the first batch of Apache helicopters at Hindon Airbase. In a post on X, the Army described the induction as a “milestone moment,” stating that the state-of-the-art platforms would “bolster the operational capabilities of the Indian Army significantly.”
Meanwhile, Sergio Gor, close aide to former US President Donald Trump and nominee for US Ambassador to India, said the two countries are “not that far apart” from reaching a deal on tariffs. He added that the dispute over 50 per cent tariffs on Indian products should be resolved within a few weeks, even as Trump continues to press European Union leaders to raise tariffs on India and China in response to their purchases of Russian energy.
(ANI)
