New Delhi, June 16 (KNN) The Defence Ministry on Thursday approved India’s acquisition of 31 MQ-9B armed drones from the United States (US). 

It is expected that a formal announcement will be made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington next week, reported HT.

The clearance for procuring the drones made by General Atomics was given by a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The drones have an endurance of more than 27 hours and can operate at up to 50,000 feet, in a deal worth a little more than USD 3 billion.

Fifteen drones will be for the navy, and eight each for the army and the air force.

There was no official word on the issue from the defence ministry or the armed forces.

India and the US have engaged in talks on the acquisition of the drones for almost eight years, primarily to bolster the Indian armed forces’ surveillance capabilities. The Indian Navy currently operates two MQ-9 drones leased from the US in November 2020.  (KNN Bureau)