India buying drone which killed al-Qaeda chief al-Zawahiri? Talks with USA in 'advanced stage': report

In a fresh boost for the Indian Armed Forces, the government is reportedly at an "advanced stage" of talks with America for the procurement of 30 MQ-9B Predator drones.

The MQ-9B is a variant of the MQ-9 Reaper which was used by US forces to launch a Hellfire R9X missile to kill al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan's Kabul in July 2022.

Talks between Delhi and Washington for the $3 billion deal are progressing, Vivek Lall the Chief Executive of General Atomics, told news agency PTI.

India is reportedly looking to buy the hunter-killer drones for all 3 wings of the military - Army, Air Force, and Navy. The drones made by General Atomics can be used for maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and over-the-horizon targeting.

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The high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs. SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian are 2 variants of the MQ-9B.

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