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| US Made MQ-9 Reaper Drones |
To enhance the offensive capabilities of the Indian army, the government will purchase 10 U.S. made MQ-9 Reaper or Predator B armed UAVs for the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force respectively.
A government source said that the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC), led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is Interested in buying a Predator B armed drone, may receive the last conference call about the $3 billion deal next week.
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| US Made MQ-9 Reaper Drones or Predator B armed UAVs |
Now that all issues have been resolved, this matter may be resolved at the next DAC meeting. So far, these drones have only been used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Currently, the Indian Navy is operating two Predator B drones that have been leased to the United States in the Indian Ocean.
These drones can only be used for surveillance purposes. Cannot be used for attack purposes. Once the DAC is cancelled, the Cabinet Security Committee will give final approval to push the agreement. This acquisition will be the first tri-service agreement after the establishment of the post of Chief of Staff of the Ministry of National Defence to achieve the requirements for the merger and acquisition of the tri-services.
alliance. Later, it was decided to purchase Predator B drones for all three services. The drone lasts for 48 hours and has a payload of 2 tons. It has 9 hardpoints that can connect sensors, laser-guided bombs and surface-to-air missiles. India is currently using Israeli drones, Netra and Rustom drones developed by DRDO.