People with knowledge of the situation stated on Sunday that India is in “advanced stage” talks with the US to buy 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones for more than USD 3 billion in order to expand its surveillance network along the border with China and in the Indian Ocean region.
The MQ-9B drone is a variation of the MQ-9 “Reaper” drone, which was used to fire a modified Hellfire missile that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, in the centre of Kabul last month.
According to reliable defence establishment sources, negotiations between New Delhi and Washington for the government-to-government purchase of drones made by General Atomics are in progress. These sources also refuted claims that the transaction is off the table.
The three military are buying hunter-killer drones because they can perform a range of tasks, such as maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and over-the-horizon targeting.
The fourth two-plus-two foreign and defence ministerial conversation between India and the US took place in Washington in April, according to what is known. The procurement proposal was discussed there.
General Atomics leased two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones to the Indian Navy in 2020 for a year of Indian Ocean monitoring. After that, the lease’s term was extended.
In order to keep track on expanding Chinese activity, such as repeated forays by PLA warships into the Indian Ocean region, the Indian Navy has been strengthening its surveillance system.
According to General Atomics, the MQ-9Bs are made to not only adhere to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) standards but also to civil aviation regulations in the US and other countries.
In light of the Chinese military stalemate along the eastern Ladakh border and in order to follow the activities of Chinese warships in the Indian Ocean, the Indian armed forces have been concentrating on acquiring unmanned platforms, including armed drones.
The Indian Navy has moved the procurement proposal, and it is likely that each of the three services would receive 10 drones.
The drone is the first hunter-killer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) made for high-altitude, protracted observation missions.
The MQ-9B has integrated signals intelligence and communications intelligence equipment, but it may also accept any extra specialised sensors that are required.
India was able to purchase weaponized drones from the US in 2019, and the US even provided integrated air and missile defence systems.
A region that has seen an increase in excursions by Chinese ships and submarines in recent years, the Indian Navy has been lobbying hard for the acquisition to improve its overall surveillance over the Indian Ocean.
A USD 2.6 billion agreement was reached between India and the US in February 2020 for the purchase of 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from American aerospace company Lockheed Martin for the Indian Navy. The helicopter deliveries have already started.
The previous few years have seen an improvement in Indo-US defence relations.
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