The deal is at an advanced stage of discussions between the two governments.
India’s negotiations with the US to acquire 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones are at an advance stage to scale up its overall surveillance capabilities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and in the Indian Ocean. According to well-placed sources in the country’s defence establishment, the deal is estimated at US$ 3 billion.
Manufactured by US defence major General Atomics, MQ-9B Predators are long-endurance-hunter-killer class of drones that India is acquiring for all three services. These drones are capable of carrying out a variety of roles, which include maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, over-the-horizon targeting and hitting stationary ground targets with precision.
Dr Vivek Lall, the Chief Executive for the General Atomics Global Corporation, said that the acquisition programme is at an advanced stage of discussions between the two governments.
“We understand that the MQ-9B acquisition programme is at an advanced stage of discussion between the US and Indian governments,” he said.
“Any questions on those discussions should be addressed specifically to the respective governments. From a company perspective, General Atomics is ready to support India and values our longtime relationship,” Lall added.
According to military experts, the MQ-9B drone is a variant of MQ-9 Reaper drone that was used to target a modified version of the Hellfire missile to eliminate al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul on 31 July.
Rejecting the reports that the deal was off the table, sources said that parleys between New Delhi and Washington were underway for a government-to-government procurement of the drones. The deal will bolster India’s offensive capabilities against its adversaries to a great extent.
The Indian Navy was first to use the drones for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. In 2020, it had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for one year. The lease period has now been extended.