United States at Aero India 2023: In a signal to its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the United States is bringing the largest ever U.S. delegation to India’s prestigious defence and aerospace industry event Aero India this year which will be led by U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Ambassador Elizabeth Jones. The delegation will include senior US military and defence industry officials.
“It will be an honor to lead the largest-ever U.S. delegation to Aero India to showcase the world-class equipment, training, capability and interoperability the U.S. industry and military offer. As India modernizes its defense capabilities, certainly we want to be the partner of choice,” said Ambassador Elizabeth Jones.
“We are increasingly focused on mutually beneficial co-production and co-development partnerships. We see India as an indispensable partner for a safer, more prosperous, more open, and freer Indo-Pacific region,” Ambassador Jones said in a statement sent to Defence Star.
Impressive array of U.S. military platforms and personnel, significant representation from U.S. industry signals commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, said the U.S. embassy in India.
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Embassy officials said a robust U.S. engagement at Aero India strengthens the U.S.-India defense partnership, demonstrates our commitment to the security of the Indo-Pacific, promotes interoperability, and displays the flexible combat capabilities of the U.S. Military.
In an earlier statement, the U.S. President Joe Biden had underlined the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Joe Biden.
“The future of each of our nations – and indeed the world – depends on a free and open Indo-Pacific enduring and flourishing in the decades ahead,” Biden had said.
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A cross-section of U.S. military members and impressive aircraft will also feature at Aero India 2023.
The U.S. government delegation to Aero India will include: Jedidiah P. Royal, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs; Rear Admiral Michael Baker, Senior Defense Official, U.S. Embassy New Delhi; and Mira K. Resnick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Regional Security, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
Judith Ravin, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Chennai; Justin K. McFarlin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Development and International Engagement; Michael F. Miller, Deputy Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency; and Maj. Gen. Julian C. Cheater, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affair will also accompany the US Ambassador to India in the U.S. delegation’s visit to the air show.
Brig. Gen. Joel W. Safranek, Director of the Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate and Director of International Affairs, Air Force Materiel Command; and Karla Horn, Executive Director of the Navy International Programs Office will also join the U.S. delegation to the prestigious defence and aerospace industry event in Bengaluru.
Boeing Apache attack helicopter.
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The delegation will also include J. Mario Miranda, Director of Technology, Security, and Cooperative Programs at the Navy International Programs Office; Carey Arun, Counselor for Commercial Affairs, U.S. Consulate General Chennai, and Peter Evans, Deputy Director for Regional Security and Arms Transfers, U.S. Department of State.
Leading U.S. defense companies participating in Aero India 2023 with exhibits in the USA Partnership Pavilion include Aero Metals Alliance, Astronautics Corporation of America, Boeing, GE Aerospace, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc, Hi-Tech Import Export Corporation, Jonal Laboratories, Inc., Kallman Worldwide, Inc., Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, and TW Metals, LLC. Link to information about U.S. exhibitors at the USA Partnership Pavilion organized by Kallman Worldwide and located in Hall A at Yelahanka Air Force base.
Lockheed Martin offers F-21 to India.
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While Lockheed Martin would showcase its F-21 fighter jet at Aero India, Boeing India’s exhibits will include Apache 64E and Chinook Helicopters.
In the spirit of bilateral support for India’s largest aviation exhibition, the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific’s seven-member music ensemble Final Approach will perform for the public at Aero India on February 16 and at several venues in Bengaluru throughout the week.
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