British Prime Minister David Cameron is trumpeting a 1.1 billion dollar defense deal with India.

The deal is the result of a big diplomatic push to court Indian business and tap new sources of economic growth.

On his first visit to India since taking office in May, Cameron took six ministers and more than 30 senior executives from top UK firms with him.

BAE Systems, Europe's biggest defense contractor, and engine maker Rolls-Royce, are the main winners in the latest deal.

[Guy Griffiths, Director, BAE Systems]:
"The deal that has been signed today is for the supply of 57 Hawks for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. The prime contractor is Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and BAE Systems is the main supplier to HAL, supplying the design and also the equipments which will be assembled here by HAL personnel over the course of the next three or four years."

Cameron's visit is not intended to yield any immediate deals between the two governments. It’s seen as the dawn of a long-term British strategy to focus relations with India on economic exchanges from which both sides stand to gain.