WASHINGTON, March 27: Since offering to help India become a major world power two days ago, the United States has unveiled a major plan to boost defence ties with the state. As part of the plan, the US has offered New Delhi F-18 aircraft with a licence to manufacture those in India, civilian nuclear energy and cooperation in space technology. Under the agreement, announced soon after Washington said on Friday that it was selling F-16s to Pakistan, the US administration offered to help India increase its missile defence and early warning systems.

Commenting on the US offer, Indian defence analysts here said India should not worry too much about the F-16 sale to Pakistan because what Washington was offering to New Delhi was more substantial and of a strategic nature.

Senior US officials, who announced the US offer to help India meet its defence and energy needs, said Washington wanted to see India emerge as a major world power.

In an interview published this weekend, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice indicated that the US would not be against India using nuclear power to produce energy.

Asked if the US could provide nuclear power plants to India, Ms Rice told The Washington Post: “We’re a step from that certainly but looking at their energy needs and trying to understand how they can be met.”

She said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was expected to visit Washington soon and President George W. Bush was also expected to visit India and such proposals could be discussed in those meetings. New Delhi has confirmed that the US is offering nuclear cooperation to India.