India, US sign Rs 32000-crore deal for 31 Predator drones
India has signed a deal with the US for the procurement of 31 Predator MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance UAV manufactured by General Atomics.
The development comes less than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden held talks about the acquisition of the drones on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit held in Delaware.
The two countries signed a deal worth Rs 32,000 crore for the acquisition of 31 predator drones, along with the establishment of a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in India.
This deal will enhance the surveillance capabilities of the Indian armed forces. According to reports, the total value of the deal could rise to Rs 34,500 crore.
The project was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) last week under which the Indian Navy will receive 15 Sea Guardians, while the Indian Army and Air Force will each acquire eight Sky Guardians.
Along with the UAVs, the deal encompasses advanced weaponry, such as 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles, 16 M36E9 Hellfire training missiles, 310 GBU-39B/B laser-guided Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), and eight GBU-39B/B LSDB guided test vehicles with live fuses.
India has been discussing the deal with the US for many years, but the final hurdles were cleared a few weeks ago at the Defence Acquisition Council meeting as it had to be cleared before October 31 as the validity of the American proposal was till that time only.
India would be basing the drones at four possible locations, including INS Rajali near Chennai, Porbandar in Gujarat, Sarsawa and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.