America's big offer in Predator drone deal… China-Pakistan shock to help manufacture sophisticated drones

India and the US have been in discussions for years over the Predator drone deal, meanwhile the US has offered to help India develop advanced drones. Under this deal, the Indian Army will get 31 MQ 9B Predator drones. India and the US have been in talks for a long time to finalize this deal. As per the drone deal with the US, 31 MQ-9B drones are being procured, of which 15 will be for maritime defense and will be used by the Indian Navy. Whereas 8-8 high-tech drones such as Air Force and Army will be used in many critical areas along LAC. According to defense sources, the approval is likely to be given at the DAC meeting, and the US proposal will be considered for discussion and approval at the Defense Acquisition Council meeting today. This is the first meeting of DAC in the third term of the Modi government headed by Rajnath Singh. This will encourage the indigenization process in the defense sector. If this agreement is finalized between India and the US, the time to manufacture advanced drones in India can be significantly reduced. According to sources, the US firm involved in the deal is General Atomics, whose officials have been in discussions with the Indian side over the past few weeks. The drone deal is done at the level of the three services, with the Indian Navy leading the negotiations. Increasing security on land, water and in the air, there are two types of Predator drones, one is the MQ-9B SeaGuardian and the other is the MQ-9B SkyGuardian. As the name suggests, the difference between the two is clear, SeaGuardian is used for surveillance over seas, whereas SkyGuardian is used in the skies over land. Predator drones require a long runway to take off and land, which is available in the Indian Air Force. Talking about the specialty of the Predator drone, the Predator drone is capable of flying at an altitude of 40 thousand feet for more than 36 hours. It can be used in surveillance and reconnaissance missions. These drones can be equipped with air-to-air missiles and smart bombs. Capable of flying with weapons weighing more than 1700 kg. Besides, it is better in terms of surveillance and attack and is capable of conducting precision air-ground strikes. Apart from this, the Predator drone can also be used in military operations, destroying naval ground weapons and enemy submarines. It can be used for long-range intelligence gathering and surveillance. Predator drones are capable of intercepting airstrikes and delivering humanitarian aid. The China-Pakistan drone deal is valued at $4 billion (about Rs 33,000 crore), but India wants to cut it down. The agreement was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in June 2023. The induction of this advanced unmanned aerial vehicle into the Indian Army will enhance its surveillance and patrolling capabilities, particularly in the Indian Ocean and China-Pakistan operations. Apart from this, it will help the security forces to search and target the terrorists hiding in the dense forests after the terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.