India, US likely to seal MQ-9B Predator drone deal by March, procurement could amount to $3 billion

India is on the verge of finalising a historic agreement to purchase 31 MQ-9B Predator armed drones from the United States in a government-to-government deal, according to sources familiar with the matter. The deal is expected to be sealed by March, pending clearance from the US Congress, which is anticipated in the coming weeks. Negotiations between American and Indian government officials are entering their final stages following India’s submission of a Letter of Request (LoR) for the acquisition of drones from US defence giant General Atomics (GA), added officials. The primary objective behind India’s procurement of these long-endurance ‘hunter-killer’ drones is to enhance the surveillance capabilities of its armed forces, particularly along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. Although the final cost of the drones is yet to be determined, estimates suggest that the procurement could amount to approximately $ 3 billion. The people cited above said New Delhi and Washington will depute their respective teams to firm up the deal including finalising the cost and other nitty-gritty. “The aim is to seal the deal by March next year,” they said. As part of the laid down process, the agreement will be between the Indian government and American authorities and the Pentagon will convey to General Atomics about the requirement of the Indian armed forces, they added. It is understood that the issue of India’s proposed procurement of the drones figured during US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin’s talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi earlier this month. Asked when the procurement will be finalised, Austin said at a media briefing that it will be announced at the right time. “Well, again, you know, we’ve - at the right time, we’ll announce the (deal). I think the government, the officials in the government are doing everything necessary to make sure that that capability… you (India) get that capability as quickly as possible,” he said. In June, both sides also reached an agreement under which American aerospace major General Electric will partner with Hindustan Aeronautics Lts to produce jet engines for Indian military aircraft in India. The Sea Guardian drones are being procured for the three services as they can carry out a variety of roles, including maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and over-the-horizon targeting. While the Navy will get 15 Sea Guardian drones, the Indian Air Force and the Army will each get eight Sky Guardian drones. The high-altitude long-endurance drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs. In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for a period of one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lease period has been extended subsequently. With inputs from agencies