Washington: A US team will travel to India in September to discuss the details of possible sale of P-3 maritime patrol aircraft even as the US-India Defence Policy Group (DPG) has decided to hold a missile Defence workshop in New Delhi in the next six months.

This was decided at the two-day meeting of the US-India DPG, which ended in Washington on August 7. The meet, which discussed common military interests between the two democracies was attended by Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Ajay Prasad, US Under Secretary for Defence Policy Douglas Feith and other top military officers from both countries.

The Indian delegation also accepted invitations to the July 2004 Multinational Ballistic Missile Defence Conference in Berlin and the 2005 Roving Sands missile Defence exercise.

The two sides discussed continued development of a Defence supply relationship, including the government-to-government foreign military sales programme. Also discussed was US sale to India of training materials and specialised equipment to support India's peacekeeping training capabilities.

A Defence Planning Exchange to permit US and Indian Defence experts to conduct discussions on Defence strategy and planning was also taken up.

They stressed the value of various bilateral joint exercises and said, "Similar combined exercises of greater complexity and sophistication were agreed on for the next two-three years. These exercises have been providing experience and insights into concepts, doctrines, technologies and operating procedures that have been valuable for the Indian Armed Forces."

The Indian delegation in its press statement noted that there was a growing Defence supplies and research and development relationship between India and the US. The first batch of Weapons Locating Radars had already arrived and there was progress on India's request for Special Forces equipment as well as a Deep Submersible Rescue Vehicle, as indeed in many other areas.

The backlog on the issue of export licences for Defence equipment, the statement said, is now largely overcome and the nascent procurement relationship has begun to progress smoothly.

PTI