Jammu: India will procure MQ-9B drones from the US by following the established procedure and will compare the ‘best price’ offered by manufacturer General Atomics to other nations before concluding the purchase, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Monday. India and the US firmed up the drone deal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile visit to Washington.
Rajnath Singh was also asked on the eastern Ladakh standoff with China. Singh reiterated that India wants to resolve the border issue through dialogue and in a peaceful manner while asserting that the government will never compromise on the country’s border and its self-respect.
“We will never let the sanctity of our borders be violated,” the Defence Minister said at a national security conclave in Jammu. He added that the talks are continuing at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the dispute.
Singh rejected speculative reports on the price and other terms of purchase relating to the procurement of 31 MQ-9B drones from the US. His comments came a day after the Defence Ministry said it is yet to finalise the cost and specific terms of purchase of the MQ-9B long endurance drones from the US.
Strongly trashing reports in a section of social media on the price as well as the acquisition process, the Defence Ministry said it will examine the ‘best price’ offered by the manufacturer to other nations before concluding the procurement.
Singh described the overall border situation with China as a matter of perceptional difference. He noted that there are agreements and protocols based on which the armies of the two countries carry out the patrolling.
On Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Defence Minister said Pakistan does not have a locus standi there as it has illegally occupied the area. “The Indian Parliament has unanimously passed at least three resolutions which state that PoK is a part of India,” he said.
Singh also mentioned the deal between US defence major General Electric Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to co-produce F-414 fighter jet engines in India. “With this deal, we will become the fourth country to manufacture jet engines. Tejas aircraft will be fitted with these Made in India engines,” he said.