P-8I Aircraft For India
Source : Hindustan Times
GS II : Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

Why in News?

United States has cleared the potential sale of six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft for India, worth $2.42 billion.

Key Facts

• India already has a fleet of P-8I patrol aircraft with eight ordered in 2009 and four more in 2016.
• With six more now will allow the Indian Navy to expand its maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) capability for the next 30 years.
• About the Aircraft
  • P-8I is an Indian variant of P-8s.
  • Designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
  • It carries multiple missions and comes equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, proven weapons systems, and a globally recognised platform.
  • P-8Is comes with
    • Eight Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint Tactical Radio Systems 5 (MIDS-JTRS 5)
    • 42 AN/AAR-54 Missile Warning Sensors
    • 14 LN-251 with Embedded Global Positioning Systems/Inertial Navigations Systems

It support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship

India US Defence Deals

• From near zero in 2008, India-US defence trade touched $20 billion in 2020
• US designating India a Major Defence Partner and then granting it same access to defence technology as NATO allies and Australia, Japan and South Korea under Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA) in 2018.
• India has signed all enabling agreements to maintain a good relation with US like
  • Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020
  • Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018
  • Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement in 2016
  • General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in 2002

Indian Defence Partenrs

• India is the second-largest importer of arms in the world.
• France, Russia, United States, South Korea and Israel were the largest suppliers of arms to India in 2020.
• Arms exports by Russia fell by 22 per cent, which is majorly due to India’s cut in arms imports.
• Arms imports by India fell by 33 per cent between 2011-15 and 2016-20.
• India aims at cutting its import dependence and increase indigenous development for weapons.

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