WASHINGTON: The US Congress was informed today by the Biden Administration of its intention to sell weapons valued at around $4 billion, primarily Hellfire missile-equipped MQ 9 B drones. In a press release on Thursday, the US Department of Defence agency Defence Security Cooperation Agency stated that the sale contributes to the strategic relationship between the US and India being strengthened. “An important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region,” it continued, is New Delhi. “The US State Department has decided to approve a potential $3.99 billion foreign military sale of MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft and associated equipment to the Government of India.In a statement, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency stated that it had “delivered the necessary certification informing Congress of this potential sale today.” 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian aircraft, 161 Embedded Global Positioning and Inertial Navigation Systems (EGIs), 35 L3 Rio Grande Communications Intelligence Sensor Suites, 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles, 16 M36E9 Hellfire Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM), 310 GBU-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bombs (LSDB), and eight GBU-39B/B LSDB Guided Test Vehicles (GTVs) with live fuzes are among the items that the Indian government has requested to purchase. By bolstering the strategic relationship between the US and India and enhancing the security of a “major defence partner,” which is still a “important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region,” the proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security objectives, according to the release. Additionally, it stated that India has shown a commitment to modernising its military and will have no trouble integrating these goods and services into its armed forces. This will increase India’s ability to meet “current and future threats” by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation. “The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” it stated. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Poway, CA, will serve as the lead contractor, according to the statement. Any offset arrangement will be negotiated between the contractor and the buyer. There won’t be a need to send any more contractor or US government agents to India in order to carry out this proposed sale. “There will be no adverse impact on US defence readiness as a result of this proposed sale,” the press release stated.
