U.S. would back India buying U.S. aircraft carrier technology

[JanjaWeed]

(Reuters) - The U.S. government would support selling General Atomics' electromagnetic launching system for aircraft carriers, and other key technologies, to India, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer told Reuters on Friday.

Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall, who heads a joint U.S.-India defense trade andtechnology effort, said he was optimistic about the two countries' efforts to cooperate on a planned aircraft carrier for India.

"I'm optimistic about cooperating with them on that," Kendall told Reuters in an interview, when asked about the possibility of India acquiring the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) built by privately held General Atomics, which is based in San Diego, California.

"They’re going to have to make their own decision about what technology they want, but I don't see any fundamental obstacles to them acquiring some of our carrier technologies, if they want them," he said.

India wants to use state-of-the-art U.S. technology to boost the range and potency of a planned aircraft carrier, in a move that would deepen cooperation between both countries and counter China's military influence in the region.

General Atomics, which has also proposed selling the system to Brazil, says selling the system to foreign countries could help lower the cost of installing the system on the new Gerald R. Ford class of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.

The new system helps jets launch off a flat deck at a faster rate and with less fatigue to the aircraft.

Kendall said the issue would be addressed by a new working group that is being set up by the two countries.

The Pentagon recently appointed Rear Admiral Thomas Moore, the Navy's two-star program executive officer for aircraft carriers, to lead the U.S. part of the working group, said Pentagon spokeswoman Maureen Schumann.

Moore will work with his Indian counterpart, Rear Admiral-select Surendra Ahuja, a former Indian test pilot, to set up the first meeting of the group in the next couple of months.

U.S. says would back India buying U.S. aircraft carrier technology| Reuters

 

[Víðarr]

Electro-Magnetic launching system? Yes, the US would welcome Indian investment, partnership, development and usage of that system. But the title isn't too appropriate as the US would not support other ventures such as joint radar or reactor development. The US isn't too keen on sharing or jointly developing software baselines or electronic-warfare support systems either. Anything critical to the ship's operations or defense doesn't tend to be shared. But the EMALS, joint missile programs and maybe even a joint class (with different software and electronic support) would be options.

There are huge barriers to what the US will do and what the US will not do. Even with our partnership with India, we still seek to maintain our qualitative edge over everyone else.

Still, seeing this on an IN carrier would be awesome!

The IN could partner with the US on this too, as a complement to their new EMALS;

 

[Killswitch]

I wonder if the USS America class will be proposed for the 4 LPD tender.

 

[Víðarr]

I wonder if the USS America class will be proposed for the 4 LPD tender.

The USN would want to fill its own orders first, only one of the 12 has been built. Plus, the America Class is an LHA, not an LPD. It doesn't have a well-deck yet. LHA-8 will be the first in the class to have a small, but existent well-deck.

San Antonio is the US LPD Class;

Again though, 3 more are to be built before the US has its full complement.

 

[wiseone2]

(Reuters) - The U.S. government would support selling General Atomics' electromagnetic launching system for aircraft carriers, and other key technologies, to India, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer told Reuters on Friday.

Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall, who heads a joint U.S.-India defense trade andtechnology effort, said he was optimistic about the two countries' efforts to cooperate on a planned aircraft carrier for India.

"I'm optimistic about cooperating with them on that," Kendall told Reuters in an interview, when asked about the possibility of India acquiring the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) built by privately held General Atomics, which is based in San Diego, California.

"They’re going to have to make their own decision about what technology they want, but I don't see any fundamental obstacles to them acquiring some of our carrier technologies, if they want them," he said.

India wants to use state-of-the-art U.S. technology to boost the range and potency of a planned aircraft carrier, in a move that would deepen cooperation between both countries and counter China's military influence in the region.

General Atomics, which has also proposed selling the system to Brazil, says selling the system to foreign countries could help lower the cost of installing the system on the new Gerald R. Ford class of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.

The new system helps jets launch off a flat deck at a faster rate and with less fatigue to the aircraft.

Kendall said the issue would be addressed by a new working group that is being set up by the two countries.

The Pentagon recently appointed Rear Admiral Thomas Moore, the Navy's two-star program executive officer for aircraft carriers, to lead the U.S. part of the working group, said Pentagon spokeswoman Maureen Schumann.

Moore will work with his Indian counterpart, Rear Admiral-select Surendra Ahuja, a former Indian test pilot, to set up the first meeting of the group in the next couple of months.

U.S. says would back India buying U.S. aircraft carrier technology| Reuters

if it happens soon there would naval variants of Super Flankers on Indian aircraft carriers