Washington’s approval of a US$93 million arms deal for India signals warming ties between the two sides after months of trade tensions and a potential prelude to a visit by US President Donald Trump to New Delhi next year, according to analysts.
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The supply of Javelin anti-tank missiles and Excalibur precision-guided artillery rounds to India comes as the two countries seek to end a dispute over US tariffs and negotiate a broad trade agreement.
Analysts say the weapons purchase could help reduce India’s trade surplus with the US and give Trump a tangible deliverable ahead of a trip to Delhi.
Vivek Mishra, deputy director of the strategic studies programme at the Observer Research Foundation, said “the timing is interesting because we have been engaged in trade negotiations with the US and the deal will be an element to show how much money Trump can pull from India”.
“Overall, it is good for US-India ties,” he told This Week in Asia, noting the deal followed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in February and the renewal of a 10-year bilateral defence framework last month.
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Expectations of Trump’s visit have raised hopes in Delhi that the two sides could conclude a trade agreement to lower import tariffs on Indian goods from around 50 per cent to below 20 per cent.