India is looking at sealing a landmark deal to procure 31 MQ-9B Predator armed drones from the United States under a government-to-government framework by March, with the US Congress expected to clear the supplies in the next few weeks, sources said.
American and Indian government officials will hold the final series of negotiations on the procurement after Washington responds to India’s Letter of Request (LoR) for the acquisition of drones from US defence major General Atomics (GA), they said.
This acquires significance in the backdrop of speculation that interests inimical to India are trying to scuttle the deal, for New Delhi buying such high-tech drones will pose a problem for neighbours Pakistan and China, apart from bringing the US and India closer as defence and security partners. In fact, the sudden influx of reports in the western media of “Indian death squads” that are apparently going around assassinating or trying to assassinate Khalistanis Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, respectively, is being seen as an attempt to queer India’s pitch ahead of the Congressional review. A concerted effort is being made to paint India as unfit to be a defence and security partner of the US. Major questions are being raised on the human rights situation in India. In addition, India is being portrayed smiliar to a Russia, which the West says carries out assassinations on foreign soil. India has rubbished all these allegations as sponsored by the Sino-Pakistan lobby in the US.
India is procuring the long-endurance “hunter-killer” drones to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Though the price of the drones will be finalised during the negotiation process, it is estimated that the procurement would cost around US$3 billion.
Sources said that New Delhi and Washington will depute their respective teams to firm up the deal including finalising the cost and other details. The deal may get finalised by March next year, sources said.