India to negotiate with US for MQ9B drones

According to sources, the ministry has only accorded the Acceptance of Necessity to acquire 31 MQ 9B HALE Drones, and no serious negotiations have begun now.

As of now, only the United States has these drones. China has been trying to acquire it but has not been able to do so. Once procured, these drones will give India new capabilities. The country’s adversaries are worried and may try to scuttle the acquisition process, sources added.

The next step in the process includes Letter of Request to the Biden administration and getting the Letter of Offer and Acceptance from US govt. This letter will be granted by the US government after approval from the US Congress.

Following this, the Contract Negotiation Committee (CNS) will finalise the terms of agreement before it goes for approval by the Cabinet Committee for Security (CCS). Only then the actual price and terms of the contract will be known, sources added.

US defence firm General Atomic has offered India 31 MQ9B drones at a price of $ 3.072 billion, which is subject to negotiations. Some of them will be bought off the shelf and some made in India.

According to sources, the requirement of 31 drones for the three Services is based on a scientific study of India’s needs and requirements while taking into consideration the geographical and maritime neighbourhood and recommended by Integrated Defence Services.

The procurement will involve some transfer of technology (ToT). New Delhi is looking at a minimum of 15-20 per cent ToT. The government will negotiate more and will get some critical technologies. The sources added that the acquisition is not against ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ as the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing Tapas, a drone in MALE category. The MQ9B is a high altitude drone and has long endurance.

The Indian Navy is already working with ADE and DRDO on TAPAS and the technology also has applications in civilian use – in developing unmanned flights. This agreement will help establish India as a hub for manufacturing drones, sources added.