Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The US State Department has approved the sale of 31 armed MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, related missiles and equipment to India for nearly $4 billion. This was stated by the Pentagon on Feburary 1, many years after the two countries had started discussing the deal.
India has long expressed interest in buying large, armed drones from the United States, but bureaucratic stumbling blocks hampered the deal. Talks over an armed version for India date back 2018, while discussions over unarmed versions date back even further.
The approval by the State Department demonstrates progress as the US continues a campaign to coax India away from buying Russian military equipment.
The State Department nod signals that the deal likely has cleared one stumbling block, approval by leaders of U.S. Congressional committees.
