Defence Sources: India's MQ-9B Drone Deal Expected to be Finalized by February 2024

According to defence sources, the agreement for 31 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with the U.S. is expected to be finalized by February 2024. Deliveries will commence from February 2027, three years after the contract is signed.

A reliable defence source has confirmed to The Hindu that the deal is progressing as planned, and they are now waiting for the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) from the U.S. The contract is anticipated to be completed by February 2024.

General Atomics (GA) is set to establish a global Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India as part of the agreement. However, the exact location is yet to be determined. It is likely that the facility will be located in Bengaluru, as per the source.

In June, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B UAVs from GA, including 15 for the Indian Navy and eight each for the Indian Army and Air Force. The estimated cost of this procurement is $3,072 million through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route. Last month, ahead of the G-20 summit, the Ministry of Defence issued a Letter of Request (LoR) to the U.S. government, just before the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden.

The U.S. government and Ministry of Defence (MoD) will finalize the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) based on the initial Letter of Request (LoR). This will involve negotiating and finalizing the details of the equipment and terms of the procurement in accordance with the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

As part of the process, the U.S. administration will notify the U.S. Congress about the sale, which is expected to be a formality in this case. The deal will then need approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security of the Indian government before the contract can be concluded.

The MQ-9B drones, consisting of the Sky Guardian and Sea Guardian variants, will greatly enhance the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of the Indian armed forces. These drones are designed to fly at over the horizon ranges and communicating via satellite for up to 40 hours, depending on configuration, and can operate in all types of weather. They also have the ability to safely integrate into civil airspace.