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Bloomberg
The US government has approved the sale of naval guns worth $1 billion to India in the biggest defense deal between the two countries in four years.
Putting the US among the top three global arms suppliers to India, the State Department on November 19 of the possible foreign military sale of as many as 13 naval guns made by the Minneapolis-based BAE Systems Land and Armaments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had made a request to buy the MK 45 naval guns and 3,500 D349 ammunition from the US government, a Defense Security Cooperation Agency notice said.
The MK-45 Gun System allows India’s navy to conduct anti¬surface warfare and anti-air defense missions, while enhancing interoperability with US and other allied forces.
The proposed sale will not alter the basic military balance in the region — instead it will support the foreign policy and national security of the US by improving the security of a strategic regional partner, the notice said.
‘The proposed sale will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems,†it reads.