India to buy 31 Predator drones from United States

The MQ-9B ‘hunter killer’ drones are being procured from US defence major General Atomics at a total cost of around USD 3.1 billion.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved procurement of 31 Predator long-endurance drones from US and indigenous construction of two nuclear-powered conventional submarines with an aim to significantly enhance India’s military prowess, people familiar with the matter said.

The MQ-9B ‘hunter killer’ drones are being procured from US defence major General Atomics under the foreign military sales route at a total cost of around USD 3.1 billion. The two submarines will be built at a cost of around Rs 40,000 crore, the people cited above said. The two mega procurement projects were cleared by the CCS chaired by PM Narendra Modi.

India is acquiring the drones primarily to 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.

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