The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has approved a possible foreign military sale of anti-submarine warfare sonobuoys and related equipment to India at an estimated cost of 52.8 million US Dollars for the multi-mission MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification, notifying the US Congress of this possible sale yesterday.

A Biden administration’s notification stated that this deal will support Washington’s foreign policy and national security objectives by helping to strengthen the bilateral strategic relationship and improving the security of a major defence partner, India. It said, India continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions”.

This proposed sale will strengthen the India-US strategic and defence relationship. It will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing its capacity to conduct anti-submarine warfare operations from its MH-60R helicopters. The Navy in March this year had commissioned its first squadron of six submarine-hunting MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, armed with Hellfire missiles, MK-54 torpedoes and precision-kill rockets, at INS Garuda in Kochi.