Asia | Take my arms

The West has a chance to wean India off Russian weaponry

But co-operation on defence with America, in particular, remains fraught

Indian Air Force's Sarang helicopters perform in an air show during the combined Graduation Parade at the Air Force Academy (IAF) in Dundigal, on the outskirts of Hyderabad on June 19, 2021. (Photo by NOAH SEELAM / AFP) (Photo by NOAH SEELAM/AFP via Getty Images)

Jun 13th 2022|DELHI

Joint weapons production between India and the West has a long and chequered history. Consider the Tejas fighter jet, whose development was approved in 1983 by Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of the day, to replace ageing Soviet-made migs. Two years later her son, Rajiv, persuaded Ronald Reagan to provide “fly-by-wire” technology allowing pilots to control the plane electronically. Keen to erode Soviet influence in India, America supplied engines too. French engineers were sent to help an Indian state-owned defence company design the new aircraft.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Take my arms”