India set to acquire 30 predator drones from US in Rs21,000-crore deal
16 Nov 2021
India is now close to acquiring 30 Predator drones from the United States, involving an expenditure of around Rs21,000 crore. A decision to this effect is expected to be taken at a high-level meeting being held by the defence ministry.
The development comes after the two countries agreed on revised statement of intent to strengthen dialogue on defence technology cooperation and signed the first project agreement for Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle under Joint Working Group Air Systems.
The Defence Industry Collaboration Forum Virtual Expo conducted last week also decided to further encourage development of niche technologies.
The India Navy is already using two unarmed SeaGuardian drones that it leased last year from the US.
A proposal to acquire 30 Predator drones from the United States has been under consideration for a couple of years.
If the acquisition is cleared in today’s meeting, it will be forwarded to the Defence Acquisition Council headed by the defence minister. It will then be sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security for its final nod before the contract is signed.
The drones will come armed with advanced systems and weapons packages and enable long-range surveillance and precision strikes. India’s drone shopping list includes the SeaGuardian/SkyGuardian variants of the MQ-9B. Reports said the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force will each get 10 drones each with customised specifications.
The Indian Navy is already using two unarmed SeaGuardian drones that it leased last year from the US for surveillance in the Indian Ocean Region. The Indian Navy is the lead service for the acquisition of these drones.
The option of leasing weapon systems has been provisioned under the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 and the Defence Procurement Manual 2009. This helps India cut back on expenditure, since the responsibility of maintenance also lies with the vendor.