(Image source from: mediaindia.eu)

The India-US defence ties are all set to grow and flourish in the near future as mentioned by the US Consul General Joel Reifman from Hyderabad.

Reifman, who opened up and spoke to the media following his visit to the USS Emory on the port call in Vishakhapatnam, he said that both of the countries have discussed about the deals and have been into these since a long time. Some of the talks and discussions including the Apache helicopters procurement are already in the progress, as the reports do suggest.

Along with that, Reifman also suggested saying that the production of the F-16 wings are going to take place in India itself and if everything does pan out well, the production is all set to begin within next year itself.

He further emphasised saying that the US-India partnership is crucial at this point and in this region too as the combination of the defence cooperation and collaboration does play a very crucial role in all of this.

Inclusion of tri service exercise

With all the updates, Reifman also stated that the US-India tri service exercise including the army, marine, air force and the navy is all set to begin somewhere around in November.

He also termed the port call of the USS Emory a particularly goodwill visit and further clarified stating that the same was also part of the US-India defence cooperation gesture.

The commanding officer of the ship, Captain Luckett said that the USS Emory is a crucial part in the US Pacific fleet along with the prospect of being a submarine tender ship.

The ship has a 645-feet vessel which is responsible for displacing over 22,000 tonnes of seawater when it is fully loaded. It also carries around 500 crew members on board including 100 women sailors and officers as well.

Further describing the operational capacity of the ship, Captain Luckett said that the USS Emory is a leading ship in its category and has been especially constructed for carrying consumables, water, electricity, spares, medical requirements as well as the mails for the submarine fleet.

Finalizing everything, Captain Luckett also said that they are in current talks with the Indian Navy’s submarine fleet to provide with the much needed cooperation and collaboration needed to make this a big success.

By Somapika Dutta