US, India Look Into Co-Production of Fighter Aircraft

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said that a team from the US Department of Defense is holding negotiations in India on potential co-production of fighter jets.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A team from the US Department of Defense is holding negotiations in India on potential co-production of fighter jets, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said on Friday.

"Members of my team… right now, as we are here in New York, in India [are] looking at the potential co-production of fighter aircraft," Carter stated at the Council on Foreign Relations.

India has recently signed a number defense deals with the United States, but Russia still providing about 70 percent of India’s weapons, according to the US-based geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor.

However, several deals between India and Russia have recently stalled, including an attempt to co-produce a multi-role transport aircraft and supply 100 Kamov-226T light helicopters to New Delhi.

In January, an independent Russia-based project scrutinizing the global arms market, Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade, said that Russia will retain its share of Indian arms market despite US advances.