The Bush administration announced plans to sell India six Lockheed Martin Corp C-130J cargo planes and related gear worth up to $1.1 billion in what would be the first major US military aircraft deal with India.
The sale would bolster a "US-Indian strategic relationship that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in South Asia," the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a notice to Congress made public this week.
The C-130J Super Hercules would give India "a credible special operations capability that will deter aggression in the region, provide humanitarian airlift capability and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces in coalition operations," said the memo to lawmakers, dated Friday. |