India’s Jet Airways has sold a 24% stake to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, the first such deal with a foreign carrier since last year’s change to India’s ownership laws. Under the strategic equity alliance signed April 24, the Middle East carrier will subscribe to 27.3 million new shares of Jet Airways at 754.74 rupees ($13.92) per share. The two airlines have been negotiating the sale since September 2012.

NEW DELHI — India plans to expedite the purchase of nine new special-mission aircraft for communications jamming, signals intelligence and surveillance for its air force. The proposal, worth around $200 million, was approved over the weekend at a meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council, the top decision-making body of India’s defense ministry, an India defense ministry official says. The defense ministry will soon issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to buy the aircraft, the official says.

NEW DELHI — India’s defense ministry has unveiled a new set of rules aimed at boosting the country’s indigenous defense industry by making procurement from foreign vendors only a last option. The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), the top decision-making body of India’s defense ministry, has cleared amendments to the Defense Procurement Procedure (DPP) to give priority to domestic public and private sector firms for major military procurements, thus reducing the country’s dependence on imports.