A team from the US Defense Department, accompanied by executives from Boeing Co., is expected to visit India next week to negotiate the sale of approximately $4 billion worth of surveillance aircraft, officials in New Delhi said. The discussions mark a renewed effort by the two countries to advance stalled trade and defense talks.
The proposed deal involves the purchase of six P-8I naval patrol aircraft, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the private nature of the negotiations. The procurement deal, originally approved in 2019, had seen progress stall in subsequent years.
India has previously acquired P-8I aircraft in two batches: eight in 2009 for $2.2 billion and four more a decade later. The aircraft, which are stationed in Tamil Nadu, play a critical role in patrolling the Indian Ocean and key maritime choke points.
Requests for comment sent to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and the US Embassy in India received no immediate response. The US Defense Department also did not respond to inquiries outside standard business hours.
The visit coincides with a recent announcement by US President Donald Trump that the United States will resume trade negotiations with India. Trump indicated he plans to speak with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks, signaling a thaw after tensions over tariffs and India’s dealings with Russia. Last year, the US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian exports, partly in response to India’s purchase of Russian oil, which Trump argued was funding Russian military actions in Ukraine.
The planned sale highlights continued engagement between the US and India on defense matters, even amid trade disputes. Analysts say the deal could also help reduce the US trade deficit with India, a key goal of the Trump administration.
India, the world’s second-largest arms importer, has increasingly diversified its defense procurement away from Russia. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, only 36% of India’s arms imports came from Russia last year, down from 76% in 2009. At the same time, India has deepened its defense relationship with the US, signing contracts worth nearly $20 billion since 2018. In October, India approved a $3 billion deal for 31 long-range drones from US defense firm General Atomics.
