india

Updated: Jun 03, 2019 07:12 IST

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa is heading to Sweden on a four-day visit beginning Monday, an IAF spokesperson said.

He said the air chief will visit a slew of operational and training units and also interact with top officials of the Swedish Air Force. “The visit would provide an impetus to defence cooperation and pave the way for greater interaction and cooperation between the two air forces,” the spokesperson added.

Dhanoa’s visit comes at a time when the Scandinavian country is eyeing projects worth billions of dollars under the Make in India initiative.

Dhanoa is scheduled to visit various operational and training units and interact with senior functionaries of the Swedish Air Force among others.

Swedish defence firm Saab is pursuing opportunities to build fighter jets and next-generation submarines in the country under the government’s strategic partnership model that seeks to provide impetus to the Make in India programme.

India and Sweden concluded a security protection agreement in February 2019 in order to share classified information with each other, in a sign of deepening military cooperation. Interestingly, Swedish Company SAAB is a contender in the Indian Air Force’s multi-billion dollar 114 fighter aircraft programme. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had visited Sweden in February this year.