India is buying armed drones from the US
India has signed an agreement with the US State Department to buy military drones. The agreement was signed between the two countries on Tuesday. India’s Ministry of Defense said that under the agreement, New Delhi will buy 31 armed ‘MQ-9B Sky-Guardian’ and ‘C-Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance’ (HALE) drones from Washington.
India has been negotiating with the US since 2018 to buy these two types of drones. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US last year. The country’s government had approved the purchase of drones before the visit. In February of this year, the Pentagon gave a green signal about this.
A Reuters report last year said that these drones purchased from the US will be used by the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean region. As a result, the country’s surveillance and intelligence capabilities will increase. Apart from this, the US effort to divert India from buying Russian military equipment was also somewhat successful due to this agreement.