India and US Agree on a Defence Sector Road Map - News

India and US agreed on a roadmap for future defence industry cooperation at a meeting on June 5 in New Delhi between visiting Lloyd Austin, Defence Secretary, US, and Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister of India. The talks between Singh and Austin focused on identifying ways to strengthen industrial cooperation. 
Both sides identified opportunities for co-development of new technologies and co-production of existing and new systems, as well as facilitating increased collaboration between the two countries’ defence start-up eco-systems, to create a five-year roadmap for US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation. Washington wants to deepen military-to-military and technological relations with the world’s largest arms importer to offset China’s influence.
India gets half of its military supplies from Russia, but it is diversifying to include US, France, and Israel. New Delhi also wants global defence companies to work with Indian companies to make weapons and military equipment for domestic and export markets in the country. It is also reported that General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc wants to sell 18 high-altitude, long-endurance armed drones to India for US$ 1.5-2 billion. The aircraft would likely be stationed at its contentious borders with China and Pakistan and in the Indian Ocean.