The United States has approved the sale of nearly $4 billion sale of 31 armed MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs to India, the Pentagon said.
The State Department notified Congress that the sale will include 31 Sky Guardian drones, 170 Hellfire missiles, 310 small-diameter bombs and related support material.
The deal will help India respond to “current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement on February 1.
Initially paused in December due to a Senate committee’s probe into an alleged Indian assassination plot on US soil, the deal is now poised for confirmation pending approval from the US Congress.
“The U.S.-India defense partnership has seen significant growth over the past decade,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press briefing on Wednesday, noting the sale “offers significant potential to further advance strategic technology cooperation with India and military cooperation in the region.”
Senator Ben Cardin revealed he lifted his “hold” on the agreement after the US government committed to conducting a thorough investigation into the alleged assassination plot.
“The [Biden] administration has demanded that there be investigation and accountability in regards to the plot here in the United States and that there is accountability within India against these types of activities,” Mr Cardin told news reporters.
The US last year accused Delhi of orchestrating a plot to assassinate an American advocate for Khalistan, an envisioned independent Sikh state. In response, the Indian government refuted any involvement in the purported plot and established a high-level inquiry committee to address US security concerns and investigate the allegations.
Pentagon said on Thursday that the proposed drone deal with India aligns with US foreign policy and national security objectives, aiming to bolster the strategic relationship between the two nations.