PAKISTAN, SRI LANKA, MALDIVES HOLD TRILATERAL MIL EXERCISES
Troops from Sri Lanka and the Maldives have joined Pakistani troops in a rare, two-week trilateral military exercises focused on counter-terrorism. Pakistan's army chief, General Raheel Sharif, oversaw the exercises in Pakistan's northwest. They were billed as part of a larger Pakistani effort to host exercises with regional countries at a new counter-terrorism operations center. Sri Lanka and the Maldives have traditionally been closer to India than Pakistan. (Ceylon Daily News February 5, 2016)
BANGLADESH REJECTS CHINESE DEEP SEA PORT; LOOKS TO INDIA, JAPAN
Following an announcement by Bangladesh that it's cancelling long-gestating plans for China to build a deep-sea port at Sonadia, both India and Japan are eyeing separate port projects in the country. India is hoping to win a bid to develop a port at Payra, near the Chinese-funded port at Hambantota. Japan, meanwhile, is looking at a port project a Matarbari, not far from the recently-canceled Chinese port project at Sonadia. (Zee News February 8, 2016)
JAPAN MAY BUILD AIRCRAFT PLANT IN INDIA
The Japanese company that produces the US-2 amphibious aircraft has offered to build manufacturing plants for the aircraft in India as part of India's "offset" requirements for purchasing between six and 12 of the advanced aircraft. Delhi has been pushing a series of "Make In India" initiatives in an attempt to develop an indigenous industrial base, and diminish is growing volume of arms imports. The first six US-2s would be delivered between 2017 and 2022, with the possibility of India purchasing six more at a later date. (Digital Journal February 5, 2016)
INDIA RECEIVES NEW SHIPMENT OF MI-17 HELICOPTERS
India received the last three of 48 Mi-17V-5 helicopters it ordered from Russia in late January. A new contract for another 48 helicopters may be signed within a month. India now has 151 Mi-17 helicopters, an advanced model with an operational ceiling of 20,000 feet. The helicopters allow India to support troops at extremely high altitudes along its Himalayan borders with Pakistan and China. (The Diplomat February 8, 2016)