- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will be the principal contractor for the deal.
- The US accused India of plotting to assassinate an American citizen advocating for Khalistan.
- The Pentagon stated the drone deal will support the US’s foreign policy and national security objectives.
The US State Department has approved the sale of nearly $4 billion worth of 31 armed drones, missiles, and other equipment to India. The MQ-9B Predator drones deal, initially announced during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in June 2023, had faced a delay in December when a Senate committee put it on hold pending an investigation into an alleged Indian assassination plot on US soil.
The US Congress will now confirm the deal, including the sale of 31 armed MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles, 310 laser small-diameter bombs, communications and surveillance equipment, and a precision glide bomb.
The Pentagon noted that General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will be the principal contractor for the deal. Senator Ben Cardin, as per a news agency, lifted his ‘hold’ on the agreement after the US government committed to a thorough investigation of the assassination plot.
“The [Biden] administration has demanded that there be investigation and accountability in regards to the plot here in the United States and that there is accountability within India against these types of activities,” Mr Cardin told reporters.
The US accused Delhi:
Last year, the US accused Delhi of plotting to assassinate an American citizen advocating for Khalistan, an independent Sikh state carved out of India.
A government spokesperson stated that the US had conveyed its expectations for holding anyone deemed responsible accountable.
India’s foreign ministry denied any involvement in the murder plot, asserting that it had formed a high-level inquiry committee ‘to investigate the allegation and address the US government’s security concerns.’
On Thursday, the Pentagon said the proposed drone deal with India “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship”.
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