Source: Hindustan Times
By Shishir Gupta
In a bid to substantially enhance India’s so-called stand-off weapon capabilities, the Trump administration in the United States has agreed to supply long endurance high-altitude surveillance armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which are capable of hunting and destroying targets across seas and over land borders.
Indian and US diplomatic officials confirmed to Hindustan Times that the Pentagon’s decision to supply Predator-B drones to Indian military has been conveyed through official channels and that it is now up to the Narendra Modi government to take the final call based on the overall cost of India’s drone programme. The matter was taken up during official level meetings attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and defence secretary in Washington last month, they added.
Manufactured by General Atomics, Predator-B has both land and naval versions and can be armed with air-to-land missiles, anti-ship missiles and laser guided bombs.
Stand-off capabilities refer to the ability to strike without fear of the defensive capabilities of the target.
Image sourced: U.S. Air Force photo/Lt Col Leslie Pratt
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