Stryker Production under 'Make in India'?

India explores joint production of Stryker armoured vehicles with the US as part of their Strategic Alliance

- LT GENERAL P.C. KATOCH (RETD)

NEWS REPORTS OF NOVEMBER 10, 2023 quoted Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane to say that India is interested in a US offer for joint production of Stryker armoured vehicles to meet the needs of the Army. He also said the proposed deals for the joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in the country and the acquisition of next-generation armed drones from the US are on track.

“An initial offer on the (Stryker) infantry combat vehicle has come from the US. We have expressed our interest in discussing it further to take the co-production part ahead,” Aramane said during a joint media briefing with Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on the 2+2 dialogue co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and their American counterparts Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken.

Aramane further said, “Our industrial and military teams will work with their US counterparts and come up with a concrete plan in this regard (joint production of Stryker vehicles.” He also added that discussions on the armoured vehicles were taking place under the roadmap for future defence industrial cooperation concluded by the two countries in June. The roadmap seeks to fast-track technology cooperation and co-production in critical areas such as air combat and land mobility systems; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; munitions, and the undersea domain.