"Speculations about price should be kept aside..." Vice Admiral Ghormade on predator drone deal

New Delhi [India], June 28 : Refuting all the speculations of alleged overpricing in the predator drones deal with General Atomics, Vice Admiral SN Ghormade (Retd) said that the process of acquisition is yet to start and the price has still not been decided.

He also called the deal very important for the armed forces adding that all the decisions will be taken in the national interest.

Speaking to ANI, Vice Admiral SN Ghormade (Retd), said, "At present, an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) has been accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council, which was a joint case of Army, Navy and Air Force. And now the process of acquisition will start. Because, it's a foreign military sales case, where a letter of request will be sent and then a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) would be sent ... and agreement will be sent by the US government and there would be negotiations".

"The price has not been decided. I think there are speculations about the price which should be kept aside. Whatever will be done, will be done in the national interest, and the government is working to create a capability for the defence," he added.

Ghormade said that the predator drone deal is very important for the armed forces as it enhances its much-needed capabilities.

"It is a very important deal for the armed forces because it provides capability on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. This is an extremely important capability for the armed forces to provide security to the nation. Because it gives the surveillance capability, and we are able to cover a wide expanse of the Indian Ocean Region and also the borders with our northern and western neighbours," he said.

The former Indian Navy Vice Chief also rebutted any speculation of the wrongdoings and said that what is being purchased is the minimum operational requirement of the defence forces.

"No, I don't think any scope of any wrongdoing. This is a technology that we need. There is a process that is being followed for which there are checks and balances which are inbuilt which will ensure that this will be a deal in the national interest. What we are presently buying is a minimum operational requirement of the three services which will meet the requirement just at present. In future, the aim is to build this indigenously," he said.

India secured the deal to procure Predator drones made by General Atomics, which was one of the major takeaways of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden state visit to the US.

This mega pact that will allow American Navy ships to undertake major repairs at Indian shipyards.

President Biden and Prime Minister Modi welcomed India's plans to procure General Atomics MQ-9B HALE UAVs. The MQ-9Bs, assembled in India, will enhance the ISR capabilities of India's armed forces across domains. As part of this plan, General Atomics will also establish a Comprehensive Global MRO facility in India, read US-India joint statement.

India will be acquiring as many as 31 Predator drones from the US soon, and that would be operated by the tri-services jointly.

The Predators, also called the MQ-9 Reaper, can fly up to 36 hours at a stretch and can be used for focused monitoring of any specific point or area of interest.