'Rafale Repeat': Congress Says India Paying Four Times More For Predator Drones

The Congress has alleged that India is paying more price for the 31 Predator drones deal with the US.

The Congress has alleged that India is paying more price for the 31 Predator drones deal with the US.

Source : Congress

The Congress has alleged that India is paying more than other countries for the purchase of the 31 predator drones, a deal that was welcomed by PM Modi and US President Joe Biden during the Prime Minister's first state visit to the US. Comparing this to the Rafale deal, the party asked, "Is it not reminiscent of the Rafale deal wherein PM Modi unilaterally signed a deal for 36 Rafales without the Defence Ministry or the External Affairs Ministry privy to it?" 

The Congress alleged that the Government of India is paying 3.072 billion (Rs 25,200 crore) deal for 31 MQ-9B Predator drones manufactured by General Atomics. "Why is India paying more than the actual price for a drone, as compared to other countries? Why are we paying the highest price for a drone, which does not have AI integration," Congress asked.

The party also questioned the Modi government on the number of drones being purchased. Congress asked, "In Apr 2023 (just 2 months ago), the Indian Armed Forces informed the Modi Govt that the requirement for Predator drones is just 18 and not 31. Then why is the Modi Govt buying 31 drones now?"

The BJP is yet to respond to the allegations made by the Congress. However, the Press Information Bureau, the nodal agency of the Government of India to disseminate information to the media, reacted to a claim made by TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale, saying: "This is the price quoted by the US govt. Price & the terms of purchase are yet to be finalised and are subject to negotiations." Gokhale had said: "PM Modi signed an agreement in the US to purchase 31 MQ9B Predator drones for $3.1 billion+. That's ~ $110 million per drone."

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said: "Several countries have brought these MQ-9B Predator drones or very similar variants at a lower price than India." He cited several examples to drive home his point. "The US Air Force bought MQ-9 drone, a superior version, at USD 56.5 million per drone. The UK Air Force bought MQ-9B drone at USD 12.5 million per MQ-9B drone in 2016. Spain also bought these drones by paying USD 46.75 million per drone... Germany bought it for USD 17 million per drone," he said

The Congress said that an alternative to the Predator drone was available in India in the form of the Rustom II Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. "The Rustom II is a medium-altitude long endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developed on the lines of the Predator drones of the US. It is designed primarily for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It's capable of staying aloft (at a maximum flight altitude of over 22,000 feet) for more than 24 hours," the Congress said in a statement.

"The entire development project of the Rustom series was estimated to cost around Rs 1,500 crore (approximately USD 200 million) incurred by DRDO. However, each Predator/Reaper drone from General Atomics USA will cost approximately Rs 812 crore each and India is keen to buy 31 of those which means India shall spend Rs 25,200 crore. The DRDO can develop the same in just 10-20% of the cost," the Congress statement read.

Comparing the Predator deal with the Rafale purchase, the Congress asked why did the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) not approve the drone deal. Alleging that the Air Force had reservations about skyrocketing prices of these drones, the Congress also sought to ask the Centre why was the deal brokered in a hurry?

The Congress also sought to know that why was the Predator being preferred over the Made-in-India Rustom series and raised questions on the intent of the government over the development of the indigenous drones.