The US has approved the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India at an estimated cost of USD 3.99 billion, an acquisition that will bolster India s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation.
The Defence Security Cooperation Agency said that the US State department gave the approval for the drones and related equipment worth $3.99 billion | Latest News India
The sources said that out of the close to 10 stages for defence acquisition through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of the US government, India is at stage 3 Acquisition of Necessity. During the process, the total price was shared by the US for this potential deal, which includes 31 drones along with the required systems and demands, at a staggering $3,072 million including systems, weapons, etc, officials claimed. But this is an estimate given by the US, they said