India and US on Wednesday inked the second ten-year Defence Framework Agreement here to further strengthen strategic and Defence ties between the two nations. They also agreed to jointly develop and manufacture Mobile Electric Hybrid Power Sources and the Next Generation Protective Ensembles (suites) to shield soldiers from radiation in case of Nuclear or biological warfare.
These two agreements were signed by visiting US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar after nearly two hours of one-on-one and delegation-level talks. The two also decided to expedite discussions on co-operation in manufacturing fighter jet engines and aircraft carriers in India in joint collaboration. As regards the Defence Framework Agreement, the first pact was signed by then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld in 2005.