“Painstaking discussions” cleared way for USD 4 billion sale of 31 military drones
4 min readBilateral relations between India and the United States entered February 2024 with a triumph, because the US State Department authorised the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India at an estimated value of USD 3.99 billion.
This American-made military drone acquisition is predicted to bolster India’s functionality to fulfill present and future threats. The drones allow unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation.
“I might say that our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships. We work intently with India on our most significant priorities,” stated State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller at his day by day information convention in Washington DC, after the drone deal was struck on Thursday.
In addition, US Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the highly effective Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that he eliminated his objections to the drone take care of India following months of “painstaking discussions” with the Biden Administration.
The senator stated that he obtained assurance from the administration that India would work with the United States on investigating an alleged plot to assassinate a Khalistani separatist on American soil.
Following this assurance, Senator Cardin ended his objections to the deal, and the US State Department notified Congress that the federal government had agreed to promote 31 armed drones to India.
15 SeaGuardian and 16 SkyGuardian drones
Under the USD 4 billion deal, India will get 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial automobiles (UAVs aka drones).
The Indian Navy will get 15 SeaGuardian drones, whereas the Army and the Indian Air Force will get 8 every of the land model, named SkyGuardian.
At his briefing on the deal, in response to a query on the subsequent steps, spokesperson Miller stated, “I can not provide you with a timeline. This was the preliminary step at present, notifying Congress. The actual timeline of the supply is one thing that we’ll discover with the Government of India over the approaching months.”
On the significance of the deal, he acknowledged, “I’ll say with respect to the deal itself, the USD 3.99 — nearly 4 — billion sale of 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian plane will present India with an enhanced maritime safety and maritime area consciousness functionality.”
This drone sale provided India outright possession and a 16-fold improve within the quantity of plane, as in comparison with its present lease of two MQ-9A plane, added the US State Department consultant.
The producer General Atomics Aeronautical stated on its website: “MQ-9B SkyGuardian® is the subsequent era of remotely piloted plane programs (RPAS), delivering persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) across the globe. SkyGuardian is designed to fly over the horizon by way of satellite tv for pc for as much as 40+ hours in every kind of climate and safely combine into civil airspace, enabling joint forces and civil authorities to ship real-time situational consciousness anyplace on the earth — day or night time.”
General Atomics stated that “SkyGuardian could be configured to conduct a quantity of ISR operations”, together with however not restricted to:
- Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief
- Search and Rescue
- Law Enforcement
- Border Enforcement
- Defensive Counter Air
- Airborne Early Warning
- Electronic Warfare
- Anti-Surface Warfare (SeaGuardian mission package)
- Anti-Submarine Warfare (SeaGuardian mission package)
- Airborne Mine Counter Measures (SeaGuardian mission package)
- Long-Range Strategic ISR
- Over-the-Horizon Targeting
Blinken-Jaishankar shut working relationship
In response to a different query, Miller stated that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had an in depth working relationship together with his Indian counterpart, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, the place they have been in a position to interact on some of probably the most pressing and essential priorities.
“Obviously, the secretary has travelled to India to fulfill with the overseas minister on a quantity of events. He has welcomed him right here. He has met with him in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly,” stated Miller.
Pannun ‘plot’ roadblock demolished
The drone deal had earlier confronted the roadblock of the alleged ‘plot’ to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Senator Cardin, a Democrat, had insisted on New Delhi’s co-operation with Washington’s investigation into the alleged Indian hyperlink to the foiled plot, earlier than the deal may very well be authorised.
US federal prosecutors, in an indictment unsealed in November 2023, charged Indian nationwide Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian authorities worker within the foiled plot to kill Pannun, who holds twin US and Canadian citizenships, on American soil.
“As the chairman of this [Senate Foreign Relations] committee, I totally intend to carry the [Biden] Administration to those commitments,” stated Cardin. “My approval of this sale was the consequence of months of painstaking discussions with the Biden Administration.”
Referring to India-US bilateral relationships, the senator stated that this partnership performed a key function within the Indo-Pacific stability, together with by regional mechanisms such because the Quad (quick for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between (*31*), India, Japan, and the United States).
“I help deepening our bilateral relationship with India so long as that partnership is predicated on mutual belief and respect. Championing human rights and democratic values globally is one of my high priorities,” stated Cardin.
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