The Narendra Modi government’s decision to approve a three-service proposal to acquire 31 MQ 9-Predator B armed drones from the US on the eve of the Prime Minister’s state visit to the US on June 21 is the first major purchase after the Indian Navy acquired 24 MH 60 R anti-submarine warfare helicopters from America in February 2020. The last major acquisition was made on the eve of the then US President Donald Trump’s visit to India.
The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has approved acceptance of necessity (AON) for the purchase of armed drones after the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave its nod to General Electric to manufacture the F-414 jet engines.
The two agreements with the US indicate not only deepening bilateral defense cooperation, but also a realization within the Indian military that the era of separate arms delivery platforms has endured. The Predator-B drone is a high-end weapon platform used for high-value enemy targeting with four Hell-Fire air-to-ground missiles and precision bombs.
With India’s DRDO unable to come up with a viable armed drone, the Modi government had no choice but to go for the outright purchase of Predator-B drones through the foreign military sales route to ensure that the entire US$3.5 billion transaction has only government-to-government engagement with no room for lobbyists or middlemen.
The deal will have to be approved by the CCS after final negotiations are completed. The drone deal also means the US will extend the lease of two Sea Guardian drones currently deployed by the Indian Navy. The lease of the two drones expired in January 2024.
The decision to manufacture the F-414 engine in India will put serious pressure on both DRDO, which designs and develops the Tejas Mark II fighter, and HAL, which will manufacture the engine, so that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has the required number of fighter squadrons by the turn of the decade. There is also a possibility that GE, with the approval of the US government, may also decide to manufacture the higher thrust engines in India.
With China making inroads into the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Pakistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka through the leverage of the Belt-Road Initiative, India cannot afford to let its guard down as Islamabad has decided to move towards the Middle Kingdom as its special strategic partner after which has been a client state of the USA in recent decades.
Given the weakest economic conditions of these three Indian neighbors, China will use its monetary power to leverage these countries to expand its footprint in the Indian Ocean. It is for this reason that the Modi government has decided to purchase 15 Predator B drones only for the Indian Navy to increase its awareness of the Indo-Pacific maritime region manifold.
The long-endurance Predator B will also be used to target drug shipments originating in the Af-Pak region as well as the Golden Crescent on India’s eastern border. This hi-tech platform will not only track warships from adversaries in the Indian Ocean, but will also be part of the Quad surveillance network to ensure maritime communications remain open to all legal shipping.
The F-414 engine deal and the acquisition of Predator B drones from the US will not only strengthen India’s military, but also act as a huge deterrent to adversaries who want India to be limited as a regional power and not aspire to be a global leader.
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