India signs deal with US to procure 31 Predator drones

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the acquisition of 31 Predator drones last week.

India will procure 31 Predator drones from the US defense major, General Atomics, under a government-to-government framework, officials said on Tuesday.

US Predator drone firing Hellfire missile.

The two countries today signed the much-anticipated deal.

The Indian Navy will get 15 Sea Guardian drones whereas the Indian Air Force and Army will receive eight Sky Guardian drones each.

Under the ₹32000 crore deal, a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility will also be launched in India. The deal was signed by both sides in the presence of senior officials.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the acquisition of 31 Predator drones last week.

The American team of military and corporate officials are in India for the inking of these contracts.

Top Indian defense officials, including Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager for the naval systems, were slated to be present during the signing ceremony.

India had 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.

What are Predator drones?

The MQ-9B 'hunter-killer' drones will crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the contested frontier with China.

In June last year, the Defence Ministry approved the procurement of the MQ-9B Predator armed drones from the US under a government-to-government framework.

The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 "Reaper" which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile that eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul in July 2022.

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

With inputs from PTI, ANI