It is expected that India will finalize a long-conceived plan to procure 30 multi-mission armed Predator drones from the US at an estimated cost of over $3 billion for its Army, Navy, and Air Force, official sources said on Tuesday.
They said that the proposal to procure long-endurance drones equipped with air-to-ground missiles is likely to be approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) within the next few weeks, after which it will be presented to the cabinet committee on security. The procurement proposal has been moved by the Indian Navy and all three services are expected to get 10 drones each.
Various key aspects of the procurement, including the cost component and the weapons package, have already been finalized, and the mega-deal with the United States is expected to close by the end of the current fiscal year.
Designed for long-endurance and high-altitude surveillance, the medium-altitude long endurance (MALE) Predator-B drone is the first hunter-killer drone.
