New Delhi: Hurt by a series of messages circulating on social media regarding the proposed purchase of “high-priced” MQ-9B drones from the US, the Defense Ministry on Sunday hit back, saying there were attempts to “derail the deal”. .
“The price and other terms and conditions of the purchase have not been finalized yet and are under negotiation. In this regard, all are requested not to spread fake news/misinformation, which can have a serious impact on the morale of the Armed Forces and adversely affect the acquisition process,” said a statement.
part of the drone $3 billion deal India and the US inked a deal for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones, which will fulfill a long-standing desire of the Indian military to have unprecedented surveillance and strike capability.
While the agreement is yet to be formally signed, it was part of a joint statement issued after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden this week.
Under the deal, the Navy will get 15 MQ-9B drones in maritime and anti-submarine warfare kits, while the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) will get eight land versions each.
The joint statement said that the MQ-9B will be assembled in India and will enhance the ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capabilities of India’s armed forces.
As part of the plans, US company General Atomics will set up a comprehensive global MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility in India to support India’s long-term goal of boosting indigenous defense capabilities. The company has tied up with India’s Bharat Forge, which is part of the Kalyani Group, for its drone business.
However, Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale on Saturday issued a series tweets Challenging the cost of drones.
Though the Defense Ministry did not name Gokhale in its statement, sources in the establishment said that his tweet prompted the ministry to issue a clarification.
“The system is yet to find the price,” a source told ThePrint. If one goes by Gokhale’s tweet, one would assume that the US Air Force is also buying drones at a much higher cost than the UK, which makes it seem cheaper. The deal with the US is through the government-to-government route, as is usually the case when it comes to major weapons systems.
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what the ministry said
Ministry of Defense said that “Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded Acceptance of Requirement (AoN) for acquisition of 31 MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) missiles on June 15, 2023 Was. ) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for the tri-services from the US through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route.
The AON consisted of the number of unmanned aerial vehicles to be procured along with associated equipment.
“AON referred to the estimated cost of US$ 3,072 million provided by the US government. However, the price will be negotiated after getting the policy approval from the US government. The Defense Ministry will compare the acquisition cost with the best price offered by General Atomics to other countries. The procurement is in progress and will be completed as per the prescribed procedure.
The ministry clarified that under the FMS route, a Letter of Request (LoR) would be sent to the US government containing the requirements of the tri-services, details of equipment and terms of procurement.
Based on the LoR, the US government and the Ministry of Defense will finalize the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA), where details of the equipment and procurement terms will be negotiated and finalized as per the FMS program, and offer price and terms Will. by the US government and General Atomics to other countries, it said.
“Meanwhile, some speculations emerged in certain sections of social media referring to the price and other terms of purchase. These are unnecessary, have ulterior motives and are aimed at derailing the due process of acquisition.”
ThePrint had earlier also said informed of About why India is going for these particular drones and what the three services aim to use them for. It was also reported that the Air Force was initially not ready for the deal, but eventually agreed to it.
(Editing by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)