NEW DELHI – In a concern for Pakistan, India and US to ink $7.5 billionmega defence deal for lethal military equipment, Media Report has claimed.
India is finalising a multi-billion dollar deal with the United States forthe procurement of armed drones and anti-submarine warfare aircraft,reported *Indian media*link.
The sale of Sea Guardian armed drones and P-8I anti-submarine warfare andsurveillance aircraft – along with the requisite missile and other systems– was approved by President Donald Trump.
“Indian Navy, Air Force, and Army are coordinating their requirements andspecifications for the acquisition of these Sea Guardian armed drones fromthe US under the FMS route,” an Indian defence source told the publication.
The source further added that a Letter of Request (LoR) will be issued tothe US government for the government-to-government deal by February-Marchnext year.
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The timeline mentioned is keeping in mind the capability requirements ofthe three services, which would be different from each other and theircollation may take a few months.
The expected cost of procurement for the drones is over $4.5 billion.Another deal, worth $3 billion, is for the procurement of 10 P-8Ianti-submarine warfare and long-range surveillance aircraft, adding to the12 planes in the existing fleet of the Indian Navy.
India in the past decade has inducted a large number of US defence hardwareincluding Apache attack choppers, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, C-17Globemaster and C-130J Super Hercules Transport aircraft, M-777 ultra-lighthowitzers and AN-TPQ weapon locating radars.
