Seeking to boost defence ties with India, the US today said it wishes to replicate the Russian model of cooperation under which military hardware is developed jointly.
"Yes, that is exactly the same kind of thing where two industry teams are involved in whole product life cycle where the product is both co-produced and developed. That is a new way for the US and India. We do not have the history that Russia does. We are trying to replicate that...," US Deputy Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter said here.
He was asked if the joint venture proposals in defence production offered to India by the US were on the lines of the successful Indo-Russian BrahMos Aerospace company, which produces the world's only supersonic cruise missile.
Seventy per cent of India's military hardware is of Russian origin but American companies have also made inroads by selling equipment worth over USD 10 billion to India in the last decade.
Carter said that for over several decades, Indian and American defence systems and bureaucracies were segregated and therefore, there was a need to overcome these issues.
He said during meetings with Indian officials, the US has offered several joint venture and co-development military hardware projects such as the Javelin anti-tank guided missile, equipment for aircraft carriers, transport aircraft and battlefield systems.
He said the proposals are under consideration of the Indian government and some of them such as the Javelin missile would enable India to co-produce and co-develop it and also export it.
Asked if the US was ignoring the frameworks of fundamental defence agreements such as CISMOA, BECA and LSA for doing business with India, Carter said, "We are not ignoring them but we are working around so that they do not become obstacles.
"Obviously, we would like these to be concluded but we needed to get on with the work. We are trying to succeed in doing practical things together even though India has not shown keenness to sign these agreements," he said.
Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA), Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) are the US arrangements for enhancing defence ties with other countries.
