India And Japan Likely To Finalise Long-Pending US-2 Amphibious Aircraft Deal

India will likely seal a deal with Japan for the purchase of ShinMaywa US-2i amphibious aircraft during Prime Minister Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India, Times of India has reported. India may buy up to 12 aircraft off-the-shelf from Japan with 18 more being manufactured domestically, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” initiative.

This will reportedly be India’s first defence purchase from Japan and is expected to cost India around $1.3 billion. Negotiations between the two sides, ongoing since 2014, had remained inconclusive due to New Delhi’s concerns regarding the per-unit price and questions regarding technology transfer.

According to the Hindu Business Line, a meeting between former Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and Japanese Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera on 5 September in Tokyo regarding the deal had been fruitful, with Japan offering around 10-15 per cent discount on each aircraft.

This search-and-rescue maritime surveillance aircraft will reportedly be deployed in the strategically located Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The 4,500 km range of the aircraft would allow the Navy to support civilian and naval vessels and carry out patrols in the larger Indian Ocean Region.