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NEW DELHI: A day after Congress questioned the quality and cost of MQ-9B drones the US has agreed to provide India, a senior government functionary said the final price of the advanced drones had not been worked out and cautioned against the effort to scuttle the process to procure the High-Altitude Long Endurance armed UAVs, which are among the best, through “fake news”.
He said the average estimated cost of the MQ-9B drones would be 27% lower than the price other countries have paid for them and that the final price could come down further during negotiations.
“The 31 MQ-9B drones being purchased by India are one of the best in the world. These advanced drones will help India surveil its enemies effectively, reducing the prospect of our enemies surprising us,” the official said, adding, “Only the US has better quality drones than the one being considered for purchase by India. Its procurement is bound to cause fear and concern among enemy countries, hence, one should not fall in the trap of attempts towards scuttling the procurement process and sabotage the deal,” the official said.
He said Congress has made allegations out of ignorance as the final pricing has not yet been fixed and will happen in a transparent manner after approval of the Cabinet Committee on Acquisitions. Congress had on Thursday alleged that the MQ-9B drones were not among the best available and were being procured at a higher price.
The official said negotiations on the pricing have not begun and the latest official development towards the proposed acquisition of 31 of these drones was the ‘acceptance of necessity’ accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council, which happened on June 15.
He said the pricing issue was not part of this and the indicative cost of the drones estimated by the US was $3 billion. “This works out to $99 million for each drone. It cost the UAE, one of the few countries to have it, $161 million a piece. The MQ-9B India is looking to acquire is comparable with the UAE’s but with a better configuration,” he added.
Sixteen of these drones purchased by the UK cost it $69 million each but it was only a “green aircraft” without sensors, weapons and certification. Features like censors, weapons and payloads make up for 60-70% of the total cost, the official said, adding that even the US acquired five of them at $119 million each.
Due to the size of India’s deal and the fact that the manufacturer might have recovered a big part of its initial investment from earlier deals, the price for the country was working out to be less than others, he said. The official, however, added that India may need to integrate some of its own radars and missiles with these drones, which may prompt a price revision.
Reacting to reports that the IAF had raised some questions about the drones, the official said it was expected that all wings of the armed forces would make their points during consultation. However, the IAF, the Army and the Navy had supported the acquisitions at all levels, he added.
India is looking at 15-20% technological know-how as part of transfer of technology, and major components and subsystems, including engines, radar processor units, avionics, sensors and software, will be manufactured and sourced here, the official said.
Once the final nod is given to the deal from both governments, India is looking to buy 11 of these drones off-the-shelf and the rest will be assembled in the country.
He said the average estimated cost of the MQ-9B drones would be 27% lower than the price other countries have paid for them and that the final price could come down further during negotiations.
“The 31 MQ-9B drones being purchased by India are one of the best in the world. These advanced drones will help India surveil its enemies effectively, reducing the prospect of our enemies surprising us,” the official said, adding, “Only the US has better quality drones than the one being considered for purchase by India. Its procurement is bound to cause fear and concern among enemy countries, hence, one should not fall in the trap of attempts towards scuttling the procurement process and sabotage the deal,” the official said.
He said Congress has made allegations out of ignorance as the final pricing has not yet been fixed and will happen in a transparent manner after approval of the Cabinet Committee on Acquisitions. Congress had on Thursday alleged that the MQ-9B drones were not among the best available and were being procured at a higher price.
The official said negotiations on the pricing have not begun and the latest official development towards the proposed acquisition of 31 of these drones was the ‘acceptance of necessity’ accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council, which happened on June 15.
He said the pricing issue was not part of this and the indicative cost of the drones estimated by the US was $3 billion. “This works out to $99 million for each drone. It cost the UAE, one of the few countries to have it, $161 million a piece. The MQ-9B India is looking to acquire is comparable with the UAE’s but with a better configuration,” he added.
Sixteen of these drones purchased by the UK cost it $69 million each but it was only a “green aircraft” without sensors, weapons and certification. Features like censors, weapons and payloads make up for 60-70% of the total cost, the official said, adding that even the US acquired five of them at $119 million each.
Due to the size of India’s deal and the fact that the manufacturer might have recovered a big part of its initial investment from earlier deals, the price for the country was working out to be less than others, he said. The official, however, added that India may need to integrate some of its own radars and missiles with these drones, which may prompt a price revision.
Reacting to reports that the IAF had raised some questions about the drones, the official said it was expected that all wings of the armed forces would make their points during consultation. However, the IAF, the Army and the Navy had supported the acquisitions at all levels, he added.
India is looking at 15-20% technological know-how as part of transfer of technology, and major components and subsystems, including engines, radar processor units, avionics, sensors and software, will be manufactured and sourced here, the official said.
Once the final nod is given to the deal from both governments, India is looking to buy 11 of these drones off-the-shelf and the rest will be assembled in the country.
#Drones #cheaper #India #News
