India may clinch mega US Predator drone deal at 27% less average cost than other countries, talks to begin soon: Sources
NEW DELHI: India could strike a decent bargain in its multi-billion Predator drone deal with US, with the average estimated cost around 27% lower than what was incurred by other countries, PTI reported quoting official sources.
The long-pending drone deal was announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talks with US President Joe Biden during the former’s recent visit to the US. The contours of the mega deal were finalised a few weeks ago by Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin.
Under the proposed $3.5 billion deal, India will acquire 31 MQ9B highaltitude, longendurance drones — 15 SeaGuardians for Navy and eight SkyGuardians each for Army and IAF — from US.
