NEW DELHI, Feb 16: Defence ties between India and the United States may get a boost from a visit, beginning on Sunday, by US military chief Gen Richard Myers, a US embassy official said.

“General Myers will arrive in New Delhi on Sunday and will have substantial talks with senior Indian defence and military officials the next day,” the US official said.

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff was expected to meet Indian army chief General S. Padmanabhan, who is also the chairman of India’s chiefs staff committee, and other senior military officials on Monday.

A meeting between Myers and Indian National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra was also on the cards, an Indian official said.

Signs that defence relations between India and the US have undergone a radical change were evident from a statement by Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes last week.

“We are looking at acquiring more sophisticated weaponry from the US which other nations are not in a position to produce and deliver at short notice,” Fernandes said.

His statement came after New Delhi failed to clinch a raft of billion-dollar defence deals with Russia — India’s major source of military hardware and its Cold War ally.—AFP