US National Security Advisor To Visit India To Finalise Details About Modi-Biden Meet, F-414 Jet Engine Deal

US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan will visit India on 13 June to finalise details of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to the US on 20 June.

Sullivan's visit is coming just two days after the US Secretary of Defence Llyod Austin completed his two-day visit to India on 5 June.

The US NSA is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. The visit will also likely involve discussions about the co-production of General Electric F-414 jet engine in India.

The General Electric F-414 jet engine is a low-bypass afterburning turbofan engine, which produces a maximum thrust of 98 kN. These engines will power the in-development, 4++ generation, Tejas Mk-2 fighter jet.

The F-414 deal is coming under the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging technologies (iCET), which was first announced by PM Modi and US President Joe Biden, in May 2022.

Following the Modi-Biden meet of May 2022, NSA Sullivan and Doval met early this year, in January where, operationalisation of iCET, was the main talking point as well.

Apart from the General Electric's jet engines, India is also looking to procure 18 MQ-9B Guardian, off the shelf, from the US company General Atomics.

According to the report, US and India will also discuss about the position adopted in the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as, discuss ways to counter China amidst the ongoing border standoff with the Indian and Chinese armies.