Global Security Newswire

India and the United States are beginning to consider collaboration on a missile defense system, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today during a trip to New Delhi (see GSN, Feb. 7).

"We're just beginning to talk about perhaps conducting a joint analysis about what India's needs would be in the realm of missile defense and where cooperation between us might help advance that," Gates said.

India to date has focused solely on domestic development of missile defense capabilities, Reuters reported.  However, its decision this year to buy the Lockheed Martin C-130J military transport aircraft suggests it could be open to deals with major U.S. contractors in the missile defense market.

New Delhi, though, could find its relationships with China, Pakistan and Russia complicated by such missile defense cooperation (Kristin Roberts, Reuters/Muzi.com, Feb. 27).