New Delhi: Ramping up its defence capabilities, India has signed a whopping Rs 32,000 crore deal with the US to buy 31 long-endurance MQ-9B Predator drones from America’s defence major General Atomics as per the foreign military sales route has been approved at a cost of nearly USD 4 billion to enhance the Indian military’s combat capabilities along the contested borders with China.
According to the news agency PTI, the deal was signed in the presence of India’s top defence and strategic officials in the national capital, marking a significant strengthening of military ties between the two countries.
The procurement of the drones was finalised just weeks before the US presidential elections. Last week, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the acquisition of the MQ-9B ‘hunter-killer’ drones.
All about MQ-9B ‘Predator’ drones and the deal
- The drones are being procured at an estimated cost of around USD 4 billion (Rs 32,000 crore).
- India is acquiring the drones to enhance the surveillance capabilities of its armed forces, particularly along the contested border with China.
- In June 2022, the Defence Ministry approved the procurement of the MQ-9B Predator armed drones from the US under a government-to-government framework.
- The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper,” which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile that eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul in July 2022.
- The Navy will receive 15 Sea Guardian drones, while the Indian Air Force and the Army will each acquire eight Sky Guardian drones.
- The high-altitude, long-endurance drones can stay airborne for over 35 hours and are capable of carrying four Hellfire missiles and approximately 450 kg of bombs.
- The Sea Guardian drones can perform a variety of roles, including maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and over-the-horizon targeting, among others.
- The SeaGuardian can integrate a self-contained anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mission kit.
