New Delhi, India: India wants to use state-of-the-art US technology to boost the range and potency of a planned aircraft carrier, defence sources said, in a move that would tie their arms programmes closer together and counter China's military influence in the region.

The proposal, referred to only obliquely in a joint statement at the end of President Barack Obama's recent visit to New Delhi, is the clearest signal yet that Washington is ready to help India strengthen its navy.

Although the aircraft carrier in question would not be ready for at least another decade, such cooperation could act as a balance against China's expanding presence in the Indian Ocean.

It would also represent a shift away from India's traditional reliance on Russian military hardware, particularly if, as some experts expect, it leads to knock-on orders for US aircraft in the longer term.

After years of neglect, India's navy is in the midst of accelerated modernisation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It inducted an old aircraft carrier from Russia in 2014 to add to an ageing British vessel likely to be decommissioned in 2018. Last year, soon after taking office, Modi cleared funds to ensure another carrier being built domestically was ready for service in 2018.

He also endorsed navy plans for a further carrier which would be its biggest, and it is this one that may be built with US technology, a defence ministry source and two former navy vice admirals with ties to the naval establishment said.

The joint statement by Obama and Modi spoke of a ‘working group to explore aircraft carrier technology sharing and design’ as part of the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative.

Defence officials said this could lead to direct US participation in building the 65,000-tonne INS Vishal carrier.

"The US navy is the only one that operates large carriers today, so we are looking at what they can offer, what is possible," the defence source said.