Congress questions India-US Predator drone deal pricing discrepancy
The Congress party alleged that India is paying a higher price for purchasing Predator drones from the US compared to other countries. They claimed that other nations are paying less than four times the price for the same drones. According to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, India is buying 31 Predator drones for $3 billion, which amounts to around Rs 25,000 crore. This implies that each drone costs India approximately Rs 880 crore.
image for illustrative purpose
The Congress party alleged that India is paying a higher price for purchasing Predator drones from the US compared to other countries. They claimed that other nations are paying less than four times the price for the same drones. According to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, India is buying 31 Predator drones for $3 billion, which amounts to around Rs 25,000 crore. This implies that each drone costs India approximately Rs 880 crore.
The Congress drew parallels with the Rafale deal and accused the government of repeating a similar pattern in the Predator drone deal. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) recently refuted social media reports regarding the price and terms of purchase, stating that these reports were unfounded and planted by those with ulterior motives. The MoD emphasized the importance of not spreading fake news that could harm the morale of the Armed Forces and disrupt the acquisition process.
On June 15, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the acquisition of 31 Predator drones for the tri-services from the USA. The procurement will involve 16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian drones through the foreign military sale (FMS) route. The process includes sending a letter of request (LoR) to the US government, which outlines the requirements and terms of procurement. The final price will be negotiated once policy approval is received from the US government, and the Defence Ministry will compare the acquisition cost with the best price provided by General Atomics (GA) to other countries.
Predator drones have the capability to fly continuously for up to 36 hours and can be used for targeted surveillance of specific areas of interest. These drones will be deployed at three major hubs in India, including regions bordering China and Pakistan. One hub will be established in the North or Northwest region, another in the northeastern region, and the INS Rajali will serve as one of the hubs, where two Predator drones were leased in 2020-21 during the border tensions with China.
