A day after Congress alleged that India was procuring MQ-9B Predator armed drones from the US at a higher price and demanded complete transparency in the proposed deal, a senior Government functionary claimed on Thursday that the average estimated cost would be 27 per cent lower than the price incurred by other countries. Making this assertion, the functionary also said the price may further dip during negotiations unless India seeks additional features. He also stated so far negotiations on the pricing issue have not begun.
He also clarified that the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on June 15 accorded “acceptance of necessity” and the pricing issue is not part of this. It will be a Government-to-Government deal better known as Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route wherein the US Government stands guarantee for the aspects of the contract.
The indicative cost of the drones made by the US Government is $3,072 million. This works out to be $99 million for each drone, he said, adding that it cost the United Arab Emirates, one of the few countries to have it, $161 million apiece. The MQ-9B India is looking to acquire is comparable with the UAE’s but with a better configuration, he said.
