NEW DELHI: In what will be the biggest defence deal with US till now, India is now firmly moving ahead to seal the contract for acquiring six C-130J 'Super Hercules' military transport planes for "special operations" at a cost of around $1 billion.Defence ministry sources said the FMS (foreign military sale) contract — a government-to-government arrangement — for the C-130Js will be concluded "soon" since it had been catered for in the ongoing defence budget. "We are closely studying the offer after the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency notified the American Congress in May. The contract will be signed within this fiscal," said a source.
While the Left has managed to stymie the civilian nuclear deal, the UPA government has signalled that the Indo-US defence cooperation will continue unhindered despite opposition from CPM and CPI.
As earlier reported by TOI, the Indian and American armed forces have held as many as 50 joint military exercises in the last six-seven years to build "interoperability". In sharp contrast, India has held just a handful of exercises with Russia, the largest defence supplier to Indian armed forces by far.
And now, the US is aggressively trying to grab a huge chunk of the lucrative defence market in India. Talking about the impending C-130J sale to India, US said it will strengthen the bilateral "strategic relationship", which continues to be "an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress" in South Asia.
On their part, IAF officers say the C-130Js, the latest version of Hercules with four powerful engines and greater payload-carrying capacity, will enhance India's rapid reaction capabilities.
The aircraft, which can even land on makeshift airstrips due to its rugged nature, will be used primarily for covert airlift missions for special forces. India has requested four Rolls Royce AE-2100D3 spare engines, eight AAR-47 missile warning systems, eight AN/ALR-56M advanced radar warning receivers among other equipment.