New Delhi/Bengaluru, Jul 20 (IANS): Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL) will provide Light and Medium Utility Helicopters to the Argentinian armed forces, it was decided on Thursday.

HAL and visiting Argentinian defence officials had a detailed discussion over the light and medium utility helicopters and signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on productive cooperation and their acquisition for the Argentine armed forces, as per the Defence Ministry.

The LoI was signed at the HAL by Argentinian Defence Minister Jorge Taiana, and HAL CMD C.B. Ananthakrishnan.

The Argentinian Minister, who had arrived in New Delhi on July 17 on a four-day visit to India, on Thursday viewed a flying display of various HAL products at HAL Airport in Bengaluru.

The team also paid a visit to LCA, and Helicopter Divisions and evinced keen interest in HAL products.

Taiana remarked that the day was interesting and a step on the road to an ever growing and strong collaboration with HAL.

Ananthakrishnan and other senior officers of HAL briefed the visiting dignitaries on various activities of HAL and a presentation was made on the occasion.

On July 18, the Argentine Defence Minister visited BrahMos Aerospace and interacted with leading think-tanks in Delhi. During his Bengaluru visit, he, apart from visiting the HAL facilities, separately interacted with the defence start-ups in an event organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), a Defence Ministry official added.

According to the Defence Ministry, India-Argentina relations were elevated to the level of Strategic Partnership in 2019. An MoU on defence cooperation too has been in force since 2019 while both sides are engaged to conclude further instruments to deepen the engagement. India and Argentina are working closely together to make defence engagements an important facet of their Strategic Partnership.