India signed a landmark defense agreement with the United States in October 2024 to acquire 31 MQ-9B drones in a deal valued at $3.5 billion. The procurement, aimed at enhancing India’s defense preparedness, is particularly significant given the nation’s ongoing focus on countering challenges posed by China.
Allocation Across Services
This milestone agreement, finalized after eight years of negotiations and approvals from two U.S. administrations, also involved India leasing two drones during the deliberative process. On the U.S. side, the deal required congressional approval, underscoring its strategic importance.
Under the agreement, 15 drones will be deployed to the Indian Navy, while the remaining 16 will be divided between the Indian Army and the Air Force. The MQ-9B drones, known for their high-altitude, long-endurance capabilities, are expected to significantly bolster India’s reconnaissance and operational capabilities.
Establishing a Maintenance Hub in India
A crucial aspect of the deal is General Atomics’ commitment to establishing a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India. This move aligns with India’s broader push to attract global defense investments and strengthen its domestic defense manufacturing sector.
The Indian Ministry of Defence announced the deal via a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “A contract has been inked with the US government for Tri-Service procurement of 31 MQ-9B Sky/Sea Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS).” The ministry further noted that a separate agreement had been signed with General Atomics Global India Pvt Ltd for performance-based logistics, ensuring depot-level maintenance and repairs will take place within India.
Boosting Strategic Capabilities Between US & India
Defense experts have hailed the agreement as a pivotal development in the India-U.S. strategic partnership. Sameer Lalwani, a senior fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, underscored three critical aspects of the deal.
Lalwani emphasized the drones’ role in enhancing “deterrence by detection,” explaining, “The drones will help India detect adversarial advances on land or at sea early, including from China, in order to interdict them early and prevent conflict.”
