US Secretary of Defence, James Mattis, arrived in New Delhi on Monday to escalate proposed sale of US military hardware to India, including Sea Guardian drones and F-16 combat aircraft.
Mattis is the first member of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet to visit New Delhi after the new administration took over on January 20 this year. He will meet Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
With the Modi government now having a full-fledged Defence Minister in Sitharaman, Washington is keen to prod New Delhi to move fast on US proposal for sale of Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial Systems to India. Mattis will also discuss with Sitharaman on Tuesday proposed manufacturing of US F-16 Block 70 multi-role combat aircraft in India.
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