KEY POINTS
- Both the Indian and the U.S. sides are expected to seal the deal by March next year
- The price of the drones is yet to be finalized, but it is estimated that the procurement will cost around $3 billion
- European missile maker MBDA is considering the integration of its high-precision strike missile Brimstone onto the drones
India and the U.S. are in the process of finalizing a deal that will arm the Indian military with MQ-9B Predator long-endurance armed drones.
As part of the landmark deal, India will procure 31 of the "hunter killer" drones from the U.S. under a government-to-government framework to amp up the Indian armed forces' surveillance apparatus, especially along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, local reports said.
The U.S. Congress is expected to clear the supplies in the coming weeks, and the deal is expected to be sealed by March next year, sources reportedly claimed. The price of the drones is yet to be finalized, but it is estimated that the procurement will cost around $3 billion.
Officials from both sides will be holding the final round of negotiations and are likely to finalize the price of the drones along with other details.
European missile maker MBDA, which has provided various weapon systems to the Indian armed forces over the last five decades, has also shown interest in considering the integration of its high-precision strike missile Brimstone onto the MQ-9B Predator armed drones that India is procuring from the U.S.
Brimstone missiles can be deployed on a wide range of unmanned aerial vehicles and were described by MBDA officials as a proven weapon of choice.
"We are open to looking into any proposal for integration of Brimstone missiles onto the MQ-9B Predator drones being procured by India," the officials said.
"Brimstone is being integrated on MQ-9B and available to provide the best anti-surface strike capabilities against moving, static, maritime and armored targets," an MBDA spokesperson was quoted saying.
India has been bolstering its military capabilities along the contested frontier with China in recent years.
New Delhi and the Indian Army's "pivot of the military towards the Chinese threat has made for a very robust and aggressive defense posture," Brig. Deepak Sinha (Retd.), a second-generation paratrooper and author of "Beyond the Bayonet: Indian Special Operations Forces in the 21st Century," previously told International Business Times.
"Our partnership with the United States, especially with regard to the sale of high-tech weapon systems and cooperation in the intelligence domain are game changers and greatly enhance our defense capabilities," he added.
