Within days of having entered the Missile Technology Control Regime backed by President Obama, New Delhi has expressed interest in buying Predator drones from San Diego, California-based General Atomics through the Foreign Military Sales program.
Defense News reports that according to an official of the Indian Ministry of Defense, a Letter of Request (LoR) for the purchase of 22 of the unmanned aircraft system for the Indian Navy was sent to the U.S. on June 17.
The Indian Navy will use the Predator drone, which can fly at an altitude of 50,000 feet, for maritime surveillance and to safeguard its maritime assets in the Indian Ocean, both east and west coast, said an Indian Navy official. These drones have the capacity to fly non-stop for more than 24 hours and monitor the movement of objects as small as a football, sources said.
