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India's Tri-Services Cautious About US Military Deals After Tejas Engines Delay

21:12, 27 August 2024
© AP Photo / Manish Swarup
Pawan Atri
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Defence ties between India and the US have been growing at a rapid pace in recent years but Washington's alleged "delaying" tactics have made the military of the world's largest democratic country a bit skeptical.
Sputnik
The Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) signed between the US and India during Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's recent visit to America will be of little help to New Delhi, a military expert has said.

"The biggest limitation of the SOSA pact signed by Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Lloyd Austin is its non-binding nature," Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran Group Captain (Retd) Uttam Kumar Devnath told Sputnik India on Tuesday.

The agreement implies SOSA empowering both nations to overcome supply chain challenges, especially the ones related to critical military equipment.

"However, the bilateral arrangement between India and the US is non-binding and may not help New Delhi much, given its recent experience with Washington. A case in point is the delay in the delivery of engines for Tejas Mk-1A fighter jets," Devnath underscored.

It is worth remembering that the production line of India's homegrown Tejas warplane has been hit by long delays in the supply of engines from the US.
The aircraft's Tejas Mk-1A variant is solely dependent on American defence behemoth General Electric (GE) for its F404 engine. Latest reports suggest that these delays have pushed the production timeline of the fighter jets by at least nine months.
Meanwhile, the indigenous combat planes are critical for India's security needs amid depleting squadron strength of the IAF.
As of December 2023, the IAF is operating with a squadron strength of 32, well below the 42 it needs to maintain to tackle the twin threats of unfriendly countries at the same time.
India is the 18th country to sign the Security of Supply Arrangement or SOSA with the US. However, for India the agreement did not lead to the Reciprocal Defene Procurement (RDP) agreements, unlike majority of the countries, Devnath stressed.
Moreover, India continues to depend on Russia for almost 50% to 60% of its defence equipment and spare parts supplies, the expert stated.
For instance, the IAF is heavily dependent on Russia, with the S-400 Air Defence System being the latest example of a closer Moscow-New Delhi cooperation in this domain, he observed.

"In fact, I would say that the India-Russia bond in the military sector is unbreakable and unshakable. On the contrary, the new arrangements with the US are to safeguard India's interests because having a pact with the US government will put pressure on American companies to supply critical defence items and spare parts without a considerable amount of delay," the strategic affairs analyst asserted.

In the meantime, he pointed out that the strategic partnership with the US has always been viewed with doubt and suspicion in India and that's why the country's tri-services have been very careful while dealing with Washington as a supplier of any military product.

"Hence, the delay in the supply of GE-F404 engines for Tejas warplanes and Apache helicopters for the Indian Army is being viewed very seriously by the nation's security establishment. It proves that the US cannot be a dependable defence partner at all times," Devnath concluded.

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Sputnik OpinionIndiaUSNew DelhiIndian Air Force (IAF)S-400 air defense systemsWashington D.C.LCA TejasApache helicopterDelhiRussiaMoscowmilitary equipmentmilitary cooperationdefense sectordefense pactRajnath Singh
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