Even as top US chief comes visiting, India reluctant about military pacts

The seniormost US military commander, Admiral Michael Mullen, will be in town on Thursday and Friday but India still remains cold to inking three military pacts connected with technology safeguards and logistics being pushed by Washington.Interestingly, Admiral Mullen's visit comes at a time when the selection process to choose one of the six foreign aviation majors in the race to supply 126 fighters to IAF, in a lucrative $10.4-billion project, is entering the last lap. Two American companies, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, are among the contenders.Moreover, Washington is also on the verge of clinching the biggest-ever Indo-US defence deal till now, the supply of 10 C-17 Globemaster-III giant strategic airlift aircraft to IAF, which will come with a price tag upwards of $3 billion to overtake the $2.1 billion contract for eight Boeing P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft inked last year.

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Posted in: India