NEW DELHI, Nov 15: The United States has agreed to export the latest radar technology to India in a landmark step towards expanding their military partnership since the lifting of nuclear sanctions last year, US officials said on Friday.

They said US manufacturers would supply eight Weapons-Locating Radars (WLRs) to help the Indian army minimize the casualties it suffers mostly along the border with Pakistan.

“It is the first agreement since the lifting of sanctions after Sept 11,” a US official said at the end of a meeting of the Security Cooperation Group (SCG), comprising officials from defence departments of both countries.

“And so this deal is symbolic of a growing eagerness among the two sides to strengthen military cooperation,” the official said, adding talks on a “vast canvas” of armament transfer were also under way.

The US official told reporters that the US army would immediately supply some of its own WLRs to train Indian military personnel until the American manufacturers supplied the eight radars.

“India’s defence ministry has shown interest in certain other items as well,” he said, adding that New Delhi’s focus was on acquiring American ground sensors to fight the Kashmiri Mujahideen.

“Such sensors would be supplied after a complete analysis of the terrain they would be installed,” the official said.

“This meeting of the SCG signals the continuation of a dialogue between the two major potential military partners and from our side we have assured the Indians of our decision to help relax our export licensing regime.”

On the sidelines of the SCG talks, a large number of American defence contractors visited the Indian capital this week for separate talks in the ministry of defence here, Indian officials added.

Top commanders from the US air force and its Indian counterpart also met on Thursday and Friday to work out a programme of closer cooperation in fields of training and operations.—AFP