Indian Armed Forces All Set to Secure Rs 32,000 Crore Predator-B Drone Deal, Anticipating February Signing

New Delhi: The armed forces— the Navy being the lead organisation— are making every effort to sign the Rs 32,000 crore Predator-B deal for the 31 armed drones as soon as possible. The letters of request have been sent to the US Department of defence and General Atomics, the manufacturers, and there is an expectation that the deal, after the commercial negotiations, will be signed by February next year, perhaps not by year end. Then, the deliveries will begin in 2026.

Of the 31, the Navy will get 15 and the Army and the Air Force will get 8 each. The Navy already have 2, but they have been taken on lease. The naval version of the Predator-B is slightly different from the ones that the Army and Air Force are getting. The Navy’s Sea Guardian Predators could be in Tamil Nadu. There will be 8 Predators in Saraswa (4 each of the Army and Air Force), which is in Uttar Pradesh, close to Haryana and a similar complement in Gorakhpur, also in Uttar Pradesh.

Then, there is the matter of weapons. The defence ministry will need to sign a separate contract for bombs and missiles.

Apart from the United States, several other countries, including NATO members Britain, France and Italy have the drone. It has been used extensively in the Af-Pak area. It is a capable weapon system; it can be in the air for 24 hours and has a range of 1900 km and carries 1800 kg of weapons, including air-to-ground missiles and laser-guided bombs.