MQ-9B drones deal: Five things to know about US proposed $4 billion sale to India

On Thursday, the administration of President Joe Biden approved the transaction for the sale of 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones, produced by General Atomics in the United States, to India.

The anticipated cost of this deal is approximately $3.99 billion. Describing the collaboration with India as one of significant importance, the United States asserted that this proposed sale is aimed at bolstering maritime security for the country.

Here's all you need to know:

1. New Delhi’s decision to buy the MQ-9B high-altitude and long-endurance armed drones from General Atomics was one of the two major defence deals, which were announced when Biden hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC on June 21 and 22 last year.

2. Under the deal, India is set to get 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs, of which the Navy will get 15 SeaGuardian drones, while the Army and the Indian Air Force will get eight each of the land version – SkyGuardian.

3. The deal offers India outright ownership, which means that there will now be 16-fold increase in the number of aircraft, as compared to their current lease of two MQ-9A aircraft.

4. The 31 MQ-9B drones will come with all paraphernalia, including 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles, 16 M36E9 Hellfire Captive Air Training Missiles, 310 GBU-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bombs (LSDB).

5. India is procuring the long-endurance 'hunter-killer' drones to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

(With DHNS inputs)