Top American aerospace and defence companies today pledged to strengthen the ‘Make in India campaign’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and foster “blossoming” of the India-US defence collaboration.
The support from American firms emerged at the Asia’s premier airshow Aero India 2017 here, where government is making a strong pitch for the ‘Make in India’ campaign, wooing global companies to be part of India’s evolving story.
The US-India Business Council is leading its delegation to Aero India 2017, showcasing continuity in the defence and security partnership between the US and India following India being designated as a ‘Major Defense Partner’, which directs the US government to prioritise defence trade with the country.
USIBC’s Executive Mission is led by George Standridge, Vice President for Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin, and Tom Bell, Senior Vice President, Boeing. Senior executives representing America’s top defense companies, including Arconic, Telephonics, Raytheon, Honeywell, Harris Corporation and Textron Systems are part of USIBC’s delegation, USIBC said in a statement at the conference.
At a seminar here on opportunities to integrate India into the global supply chain held by USIBC, Mission co-lead George Standridge, Vice President for Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said, “India is an important partner for the US industry.” Aero India 2017, he said, is an excellent venue to further discussions in support of Modi’s call to ‘Make in India’, and “we are committed to sharing knowledge, skills, and technology, today and in the future.”
“The US and Indian defense industries are poised to work collaboratively to position India as a major defense partner of the United States,” Tom Bell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing for Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) said.
By Baishakhi Dutta
