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State Dept notifies Congress of fighter drones sale to India
The principal contractor will be General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Poway, CA
MQ-9B aircraft used for representation / Image: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
The US State Department has decided to approve a possible foreign military sale of 31 MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft and related equipment to India, at an estimated cost of US$ 3.99 billion under government framework.
As per the official statement, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the necessary certification to Congress notifying it about the deal. The principal contractor for the deal will be California-based manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the U.S.-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defense partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region," the agency said in the statement.
India has proposed to buy MQ-9B Sky Guardian aircraft; embedded global positioning and inertial navigation systems (EGIs); L3 rio grande communications intelligence sensor suites; AGM-114R hellfire missiles; M36E9 hellfire captive air training missiles (CATM); GBU-39B/B laser small diameter bombs (LSDB); and GBU-39B/B LSDB guided test vehicles (GTVs) with live fuzes as part of the deal. Other pieces of equipment include missile launchers, cryptographic appliques, and surveillance radars.
The military deal is expected to equip India’s capability to meet current and future threats by strengthening unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation specially along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The country has demonstrated a commitment to modernizing its military and will have no difficulty absorbing the upcoming articles and services into its armed forces. The US agency further affirmed that there will be no adverse impact on US defense readiness due to the proposed sale.
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