Centre approves procurement of US MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones

The Defence ministry on Thursday cleared a mega defence deal to buy 30 MQ 9B Sea Guardian armed drones, better known as the Predator, from the US, nudging the multi-billion dollar arms deal one step closer to reality.

The approval from the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will have to be vetted by the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will depart for Washington next week for his first state visit.

If the deal with General Atomics goes through, India will be the first country outside the NATO block to receive such a weapon from the USA. The size of the deal could be anywhere between $2billion and $23 billion, sources said.

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Securing the Predator deal is one of the two big ticket military contracts on the agenda for Modi’s upcoming US visit, the other one being an agreement with General Electric to manufacture its F-414 engines in India to power the home-grown combat aircraft of the IAF and Indian Navy.

The DAC clearance came after two back-to-back high level meetings between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin with their counterparts.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and the Principal Secretary at the PMO, P K Mishra also flew to Washington DC in recent weeks to finalise the deals that will be inked by the two countries.

According to the proposal, the navy will get 14 of these combat platforms while the army and air force will receive eight each. The Indian Navy currently operates two unarmed versions of the Sea Guardian drones that have been taken on lease from General Atomics. India will also seek an extension of the lease.

The high-altitude long-endurance drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and around 450 kg of smart bombs for long-range precision strikes.