India orders US helicopters as Narendra Modi begins Japan visit

India plans to buy Boeing Chinook and Apache helicopters, an Indian defence ministry official says, in a deal valued at US$2.5 billion that could ease strained ties between New Delhi and Washington.

This news came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew into Japan on a five-day official visit as the nations seek to boost security ties. Modi arrived at Osaka, western Japan, by special plane for a night in the nearby ancient city of Kyoto where he had an unofficial dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Indian leader would visit historic sites and an academic institution in Kyoto today before moving to Tokyo for meetings tomorrow with Japanese government and business leaders, including Abe, the official said.

The helicopter deal topped the agenda during a visit by United States Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel this month and was likely to help mend ties frayed by trade and diplomatic disputes. Modi is due to visit the US next month.

At a meeting on Friday, the government also approved an Indian navy proposal to buy 16 helicopters, the official said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, cancelled a US$991 million tender to buy 197 light helicopters from foreign vendors and asked Indian firms to produce them at home, the official said.