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NEW DELHI: India and Argentina on Tuesday decided to enhance their bilateral defence-industrial cooperation, with discussions also taking place on the possibility of exporting Tejas fighter jets, BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and other military hardware to the South American country.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh held delegation-level talks with his visiting Argentinian counterpart Jorge Enrique Taiana to discuss the ongoing defence cooperation initiatives, including measures to enhance the defence-industrial partnership.
“India and Argentina are working closely together to make defence engagements an important facet of their strategic partnership, which was elevated to that level in 2019,” a MoD official said.
“An MoU on defence cooperation too has been in force since 2019 while both sides are engaged to conclude further instruments to deepen the engagement,” he added.
Taiana went to the BrahMos Aerospace headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, and is slated to visit the facilities of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which manufactures Tejas jets and Dhruv advanced light helicopters, in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
As was reported earlier by TOI, Argentina now wants India to submit a formal proposal for its proposed acquisition of 16 Tejas fighters. But the country has also insisted that there should be no British-origin parts in the Tejas jets, given is lingering dispute with the UK.
The single-engine Tejas will also have to contend with Chinese JF-17 ‘Thunder’ and other foreign jets in the competition to bag the Argentinian order.
A technical team from Argentina had visited India earlier to evaluate Tejas. Indian ambassador to Argentina Dinesh Bhatia, along with an HAL delegation, had last month also met Taiana as well as Argentine Air Force chief Brig General Xavier Isaac to showcase `Make in India’ defence production capabilities, especially the Tejas and Dhruv choppers.
India is keen to export the Tejas fighters, Dhruv choppers, BrahMos cruise missiles and Akash surface-to-air missile systems, among the major weapon systems, to friendly countries.
While a $375 million contract for three anti-ship coastal batteries of the 290-km-range BrahMos missiles was inked with the Philippines in January 2022, Malaysia earlier this year had selected the South Korean FA-50 fighter over the Tejas for a $920 million deal for importing 18 light attack aircraft after a long-drawn process.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh held delegation-level talks with his visiting Argentinian counterpart Jorge Enrique Taiana to discuss the ongoing defence cooperation initiatives, including measures to enhance the defence-industrial partnership.
“India and Argentina are working closely together to make defence engagements an important facet of their strategic partnership, which was elevated to that level in 2019,” a MoD official said.
“An MoU on defence cooperation too has been in force since 2019 while both sides are engaged to conclude further instruments to deepen the engagement,” he added.
Taiana went to the BrahMos Aerospace headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, and is slated to visit the facilities of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which manufactures Tejas jets and Dhruv advanced light helicopters, in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
As was reported earlier by TOI, Argentina now wants India to submit a formal proposal for its proposed acquisition of 16 Tejas fighters. But the country has also insisted that there should be no British-origin parts in the Tejas jets, given is lingering dispute with the UK.
The single-engine Tejas will also have to contend with Chinese JF-17 ‘Thunder’ and other foreign jets in the competition to bag the Argentinian order.
A technical team from Argentina had visited India earlier to evaluate Tejas. Indian ambassador to Argentina Dinesh Bhatia, along with an HAL delegation, had last month also met Taiana as well as Argentine Air Force chief Brig General Xavier Isaac to showcase `Make in India’ defence production capabilities, especially the Tejas and Dhruv choppers.
India is keen to export the Tejas fighters, Dhruv choppers, BrahMos cruise missiles and Akash surface-to-air missile systems, among the major weapon systems, to friendly countries.
While a $375 million contract for three anti-ship coastal batteries of the 290-km-range BrahMos missiles was inked with the Philippines in January 2022, Malaysia earlier this year had selected the South Korean FA-50 fighter over the Tejas for a $920 million deal for importing 18 light attack aircraft after a long-drawn process.
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