The India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue and the iCET framework have shifted the bilateral from buyer-seller defence ties to co-development. Examine the breakthroughs and the residual frictions, with reference to GE F414 jet engines and the Sonobuoy MoU.

Introduction:

Since the Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific (January 2015) the India-US partnership has moved from buyer-seller to a Major Defence Partner (June 2016) and an Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET, January 2023). The 2+2 ministerial dialogue institutionalises a co-development trajectory.

Defence breakthroughs: The GE F414 jet-engine co-production MoU (June 2023) for Tejas Mk2 transfers up to 80 percent technology; 31 MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones ($3.5 billion, 2024) extend maritime ISR; the Sonobuoy MoU between Ultra Maritime and Bharat Dynamics (2024) localises anti-submarine warfare consumables; the MASTER framework streamlines export controls.

Technology integration: iCET was extended at the 2+2 to next-generation telecoms, AI, biotechnology, advanced materials and space launch; India joined the Mineral Security Partnership (June 2023); General Atomics-Indian industry partnerships and Tata-Analog Devices semiconductor packaging anchor co-fab. The CHIPS Act 2022 architecture pulls Indian fabless start-ups into US value chains via the JIST trilateral.

Frictions: US secondary tariffs of 50 percent on Indian goods (August 2025) until the 6 February 2026 framework rolled them back to 18 percent; the Russia oil dispute; the H-1B visa cap; and the US Department of Justice indictment of Indian officials in the Pannun assassination plot (November 2023). Strategic autonomy and partnership coexist uneasily.

Way forward / Conclusion:

Finalise the India-US bilateral trade pact, operationalise GSOMIA and COMCASA end-use protocols, ensure Tata-Analog Devices co-fab delivery, codify CAATSA waiver clarity through legislation, and use iCET to compound co-development beyond defence into AI, quantum and bio.