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Boosting Defence ties between India and the United States, a chopper deal worth $2.5bn (£1.7bn) was confirmed by the India's cabinet to buy 37 military helicopters from Boeing, the US aviation company. Interestingly, the news comes just before the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US later in the week.
The deal for military helicopters will help India replace ageing Soviet-era aircraft with 22 Apache attack helicopters along with 15 Chinooks. The purchase will definitely strengthen the status of the United States as the top military suppliers to India.
Although the Chinook and Apache helicopters were preferred in 2012 over Russian competitors, budget constraints have kept the deal for Boeing military helicopters blocked till now. On Tuesday, the deal got green signal from the cabinet committee on security that was headed by Mr Modi.
The Reuters news agency reports indicate that negotiations for series of defence collaboration projects are underway between Indian government and the US government.
Also read: Few Fortune 500 Companies’ CEOs To Dine With PM Modi
Modi’s visit to US
In New York Mr Modi is scheduled to meet Barack Obama, the US President, on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Press Trust India has reported that Modi said, "This visit seeks to build on the substantial ground covered during my last visit to USA and President Obama's visit to India early this year.”
Narendra Modi has plans to meet Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, at the headquarters of Facebook, which has over million active users a month in India. Modi would discuss few global issues with Zuckerberg, including issues related to India.
Also read: India Likely To Highlight External Source Of Terrorism During UNGA
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting a dinner on 24 September in New York. Almost 50 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have confirmed their participation in the get together, while the number is expected to rise further.
-Sumana
