India Races Against Time To Arm Itself With US Made MQ-9B Hunter-Killer UAV As Pakistan And China Expand Their Drone Fleet

India is speeding up the signing of the deal to buy 31 MQ-9 Guardian armed drones from the United States.

According to a report by Times of India, the price negotiations for the deal are in advanced stages, and the deal is expected to be signed by the end of the year, in November or December.

Under this deal, 31 MQ-9Bs will be bought, with 15 intended for the Indian Navy and eight each for the Air Force and the Army.

The Navy already operates two MQ-9B drones on lease to monitor the Indian coastline.

The price quoted by the manufacturer, General Atomics, is around $3.9 billion, which the Indian Ministry of Defence is trying to bring down. Under the deal, India is also asking for a transfer of technology (ToT). Moreover, the drones will be assembled in India, and General Atomics will also open a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in India.

This deal also includes the acquisition of 170 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, 310 GBU-39B precision-guided glide bombs, and associated sensors like navigation equipment, sensor suites, and mobile ground control stations.

The report explains that the fast-tracking of the deal is being done because of the Chinese and Pakistanis inducting a large number of medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones like the Cai Hong 4 and Wing Loong-2. Pakistan already operates 10 CH-4 drones from China and wants another 16 drones from China.

The forces are looking to induct 10 MQ-9B drones as early as possible, while the rest of the drones will be delivered in batches every six months.

The MQ-9Bs of the Navy will be based at command and control centers at Arakkonam and Porbandar, very close to the coastline, while the Army and Air Force's MQ-9Bs will be based out of IAF's airbases at Saraswa and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, allowing coverage of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).