Fighter jets, drones on table as Pentagon chief Mattis heads to India

September 24, 2017 14:05

Fighter jets, drone deals and shared concerns over Afghanistan's security look set to dominate the agenda when US Defense Secretary James Mattis visits India this week.

Mattis is scheduled to arrive late Monday and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the first visit by a top US official since Donald Trump became president in January.

The United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia," a Pentagon statement said.

Trump and Modi met in June in Washington and the visit by Mattis is a sign "the political leadership in both countries place defence cooperation as a top priority", said Mukesh Aghi, president of the US India Strategic Partnership Forum.

Trump has praised India for contributing to regional peace and stability and for buying US military equipment.

Mattis is likely to seek to persuade India to buy Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 aircraft in a deal potentially worth $15 billion.

A drone deal for the Indian Navy will also likely be up for discussion, a source familiar with the negotiations said.

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