The discussions on the purchase of 30 Predator armed drones from US by India at an estimated cost of USD 3 billion is at its advance stage, many sources have confirmed. India is the first non-NATO ally to get these Predator drones.
The deal was signed during Trump administration during PM Modi’s visit to the White House in 2017. Thereafter, the two nations intensified the discussions and increased the number of drones from 10 to 30. Each of the services (Army, Navy, and Air Force) to get 10 drones each.
Government sources told PTI, that the Predator/MQ9B acquisition program of 30 aircraft is at an advanced stage of discussion between the Indian and the US government.
These state-of-the-art drones presently do not have any competitor in the defence industry. These are manufactured by General Atomics.
