New Delhi (India), 14th June 2023: The Biden administration is pushing New Delhi to break through its own red tape and speed a deal for dozens of US-made armed drones ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington, according to sources familiar with the subject.
India has long shown an interest in purchasing large armed drones from the US. However, bureaucratic roadblocks have stymied a hoped-for sale for SeaGuardian drones worth $2 billion to $3 billion for years.
Negotiators in the United States are hoping that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House on June 22 will break the deadlock.
Since the date of Modi’s visit has been set, the US State Department, Pentagon, and White House have requested India to “show” progress on the agreement for up to 30 armable MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones built by General Atomics, according to two sources.
While Modi is in Washington, he is anticipated to discuss co-production of weapons and ground vehicles such as armoured personnel carriers, according to sources.
Several “historic” defence agreements are on the table, including the licencing of GE-414 aircraft engines in India, the transfer of Predator drones, and the sale of 26 F-18 fighter aircraft to the Indian Navy.
This action is critical for India because Russian weaponry delivery have been delayed due to the war. Given the current state of affairs, all eyes are on the US-India arms deals.
