The Biden administration has publicly disclosed sensitive details of a potential UAV sale to New Delhi, drawing the interest of its hostile neighbors
Indian Army Chief Gen. Manoj Pande concluded a four-day visit to the US on Friday. During the trip, he held high-level talks with his American counterpart Gen. Randy George and other senior military officials, visited I Corps Headquarters at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and was briefed about the Stryker Unit (Infantry Combat Vehicle) which has been offered by the US for co-manufacturing in India.
But a big question hangs in the air. Many in Indian defense circles are questioning whether New Delhi will be wiling to get into another military sale in the wake of a much-touted, and now well-known, MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones deal.
The US announced earlier this month that Congress had been notified of the potential sale of the UAV, a version of the Predator drone, to India, estimated at around $3.99 billion. It can not be said conclusively if Gen Pande has raised the MQ-9B issue with India’s US partners as the final statement from both sides is yet to be released, however, the announcement of the deal by Pentagon has irked India.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) released a statement on February 1 that the State Department had approved a possible deal, which includes the sale to India of 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian UAVs and other weapons and electronics, spare parts and accessories. The Indian public sphere went into a frenzy. Indeed, the South Asian nation would be finally getting the most lethal combat drones in the world, deployed during the Afghanistan war and for targeting top ISIS and Al Qaeda leadership.
According to the Pentagon, “the proposed sale will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation.”
However, authorities in the Indian defense and security establishment were rattled by the official statement, according to sources familiar with the situation. This is largely because the statement not only disclosed which missiles, bombs, radars, and other related military equipment are part of the MQ-9B deal but also the exact numbers to be delivered.
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