US Pressing On India To Lock Armed Drones Deal Worth $3 Billion As PM Modi Visits Washington

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Washington, US government is pressing on New Delhi, India to come ahead for a deal of dozens of US made armed drones, says media reports.

India has always wished to buy large armed drones from the United States. There has always been an issue with the deal as the relations between India and the US are not stable. If this would not have been the case, deal for SeaGuradian drones that can worth $2 billion to $3 billion for years would have been finalized. Now after the visit of PM Modi, the deal is expected to happen.

Show progress on the deal, urges US

As soon as the Prime Minister Modi finalized his visit, the U.S. State Department, Pentagon and White House is urging India to show  progress on the deal. According to media reports, 30 armable MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones are produced by General Atomics.

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US and India to co-produce

During their meet, it is expected that PM Modi and Joe Biden, US President will discuss on co-production of arm products. They would be discussing on co-production of munitions and ground vehicles, like armored personnel carriers. However, the spokespeople for the White House, Department of State and the Pentagon declined to comment on the negotiations.

America’s strategy to counter China’s growing power

Despite the absence of a formal security alliance, US President Joe Biden has made strengthening ties with India a pillar of his strategy to counter China’s expanding influence. This year, he has given particular attention to cooperation on cutting-edge military technologies between the world’s two largest democracies.

New Delhi has irritated Washington by preserving some defence and economic connections with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi frequently values its non-alignment in wars between great powers abroad.