New Delhi: The Defence Ministry of India has granted approval for the procurement of armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones manufactured in the USA, as per sources cited by Reuters. The procurement entails the acquisition of 31 drones from Normal Atomics, with a complete worth barely exceeding $3 billion, in keeping with one of many sources.
The choice from the Defence Ministry comes shortly earlier than Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a state go to to the USA subsequent week. The preliminary clearance for the procurement was given by the Defence Ministry’s capital procurement physique, which convened at present to finalize the deal. The announcement of the procurement is anticipated to be made throughout PM Modi’s assembly with US President Joe Biden.
Given China’s growing dominance, President Biden has made it a precedence to strengthen defence ties with India and has expressed a willingness to collaborate on navy know-how, regardless of the absence of a proper safety alliance between the 2 nations.
The “Acceptance of Necessity” by the ministry marks step one within the procurement course of, which now requires clearance from PM Modi’s cupboard. The US authorities had beforehand accredited the sale of 30 drones to India over two years in the past, however the Defence Ministry had delayed the choice till now.
The MQ-9B drones are primarily supposed to be used by the Indian Navy within the Indian Ocean Area. Since November 2020, the Indian Navy has already leased two unarmed MQ-9B drones for surveillance functions.
In current developments, US Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan concluded his two-day go to to Delhi, the place he met along with his counterpart Ajit Doval, Overseas Minister S Jaishankar, and PM Modi. Previous to that, American Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spent two days in Delhi, asserting a joint roadmap for defence trade cooperation and supporting India’s aspirations to boost home weapon manufacturing.
America has been actively encouraging India to scale back its reliance on Russia, which has traditionally been India’s largest weapons exporter. Moreover, the Biden administration is anticipated to approve the manufacture of Normal Electrical engines in India for domestically produced fighter jets, with an official announcement scheduled throughout PM Modi’s go to.
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