India set to finalise $3.9 billion drone deal with US amid China-Pak threat

India is fast-tracking negotiations to acquire 31 weaponised MQ-9B 'hunter-killer' remotely-piloted drones from the US as China has ramped up its supply of armed drones to Pakistan

India is accelerating negotiations to acquire 31 weaponised MQ-9B ‘hunter-killer’ remotely-piloted drones from the United States, according to a report by The Times of India. With China and Pakistan both expanding their fleets of armed drones, the goal is to finalise this major deal by December this year, despite its ambitious timeline.

Techno-commercial discussions for the inter-governmental agreement on the 31 armed high-altitude, long-endurance drones are now in an advanced stage. 15 Sea Guardians are designated for the Navy, while 8 Sky Guardians each are allocated to the Army and IAF, the national-daily reported, citing defence ministry sources.

This development coincides with China, which has been in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh for the fifth consecutive year, ramping up its supply of Cai Hong-4 and Wing Loong-II armed drones to Pakistan.

Capabilities of ‘hunter-killer’ drones

The MQ-9B Reaper or Predator-B drones, capable of flying for around 40 hours at altitudes above 40,000 feet for surveillance and armed with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and smart bombs for precision strikes, are regarded as significantly more advanced than Chinese armed drones.

The operational effectiveness of the MQ-9B drones has been highlighted by extensive ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) missions conducted by two unarmed Sea Guardian drones, leased from US firm General Atomics. These missions cover the vast Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as well as the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control with China.

Price of weaponised MQ-9B

While the US has proposed a price of $3.9 billion (over Rs 33,500 crore) for the 31 weaponised MQ-9B drones and associated equipment — including 170 Hellfire missiles, 310 GBU-39B precision-guided glide bombs, navigation systems, sensor suites, and mobile ground control systems — the Indian negotiating team is working to reduce the costs.

Under the deal, the drones will be assembled in India, with General Atomics also sourcing some components from Indian companies and establishing a global MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) facility in the country.

Domestic expertise for advanced drones

Since General Atomics cannot provide the transfer of technology for various sub-systems sourced from other companies, it will offer expertise and consultancy to DRDO and other entities to develop such advanced drones domestically, the report quoted the source as saying.

The armed forces aim to induct the first 10 MQ-9B drones within a couple of years after the contract is signed, though this will depend on General Atomics’ production capacity. The remaining drones will be delivered in batches every six months.

The plan is to station these fighter-sized drones at ISR command and control centres in Arakkonam and Porbandar for the Indian Ocean region and Sarsawa and Gorakhpur for land border monitoring.