India tightens American ties with Reaper and fighter engine procurements
India is now looking to procure 31 MQ-9B Reapers from the US, but a deal has still not been inked. (Photo: US Embassy in India)
India has been mulling Reapers for years, and it will probably take another two years before a deal is sealed.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to the US, starting 21 June, resulted in a bonanza of large-ticket defence sales to India. They included General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) MQ-9B MALE UAVs and the domestic manufacture of General Electric F414 engines.
India’s 15 June acceptance of necessity had consented procurement of 31 armed MQ-9B UAVs. Worth up to $3.072 billion, this is the largest order by a foreign country to GA-ASI.
The deal, once signed, will comprise 15 SeaGuardians for the Indian Navy and eight SkyGuardians each for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force, to be assembled
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