India and US in advance stage for the $3Bn Predator Drones Deal

India is in an advanced stage of negotiations with the US to procure 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones at a cost of over $3 billion to accelerate its overall surveillance system along the Line of Actual Control with China and in the Indian Ocean.

It is said that the talks are focused on sorting out certain issues relating to cost components, weapons package and technology sharing. The three services are buying the long-endurance hunter-killer drones because they can perform a range of tasks, such as maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, over-the-horizon targeting, and hitting stationary ground targets.

The MQ-9B drone is a variant of MQ-9 "Reaper" that was reportedly used to fire a modified version of the Hellfire missile which eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul last month. The negotiations between New Delhi and Washington for the government-to-government purchase of drones made by US defence major General Atomics are in progress.

General Atomics Global Corporation CEO Dr. Vivek Lall said, “We understand that the MQ-9B acquisition programme is at an advanced stage of discussion between the US and Indian governments. 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.”