US equipment for India's navy, special forces

The US will also put in place a system to clear the backlog of export licences for military hardware.

Indian defence secretary Ajay Prasad said this at a press conference here on Thursday night after a two-day meeting of the India-US Defence Policy Group (DPG).

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"The nascent procurement relationship has begun to move smoothly," he said.

He said the US would make available "very shortly" the equipment required for India's special forces and a team of American experts would visit New Delhi "shortly" to assess the kind of kit that would be needed to fit in the country's existing submarines."The US has agreed to provide us with that rescue kit," Prasad said.

A US team will travel to India in September to discuss the details of a possible sale of P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, said a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting.

Prasad also signed with Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Douglas Feith, who led the US delegation, a Master Information Exchange Agreement (MIEA) to facilitate information exchange on research and development.

The two sides developed a "special programme" of military-to-military cooperation, working out the details of joint exercises and the level of participation.

It includes specialised training programmes and joint exercises, including air combat.