PM Modi, President Biden announce mega armed drone seal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will announce a series of defence and commercial deals designed to improve military and economic relations between the two key nations during Thursday’s State visit at the White House. PM Modi, who is on his maiden state visit to the US, began the second leg of his journey in Washington on Wednesday.

The White House, in a statement, said Modi and Biden will announce a mega deal on the purchase of General Atomics 30 MQ-9B Predator ("Reaper") drones armed drones by India. The move is expected to further bolster India's national security and surveillance capabilities, not only in the Indian Ocean but also along the frontier with China. The MQ-9B has two variants - SkyGuardian and its sibling SeaGuardian, news agency PTI reported.

The procurement of the weaponised 'hunter-killer' drones from General Atomics was cleared at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.The Sea Guardian Predator drones are being procured at a cost of around USD 3 billion to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the frontier with China.In February, it was reported that India and the US are keen for an early conclusion of the 30 predator armed drones deal at a cost of over USD 3 billion, which will help New Delhi strengthen its overall surveillance apparatus along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Indian Ocean.During National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval's visit to the US in February, this issue was discussed during his meetings with top American leadership, including his counterpart Jake Sullivan.During the meetings, it is believed that both sides expressed their eagerness to see that the drone deal is fast-tracked. India is eager that an early decision that would help it get an early delivery of the predator-armed drones that would strengthen its national security and surveillance capabilities not only in the Indian Ocean but also along the LAC.