India is considering buying General Atomics Predator drones from the US

Indian defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is on an official tour of the US and on the agenda is the procurement of 100 Predator drones by General Atomics. A defence deal with US counterpart Ash Carter is expected to be signed during the visit, according to a report in Defenseworld. The Predator family of unmanned aerial vehicles are armed and combat ready, and India intends to use them in the long porous land border it shares with Pakistan and China. The drones are also expected to be active in the South China Sea, where there is an increasing Chinese presence.[caption id="attachment_332362" align="aligncenter" width="600"] India acquired Heron TP UAVs from Israel. Image: Israel Aerospace Industries[/caption]The predator drones are sold by the US to Middle Eastern, North African and South American countries. In early July this year, India officially joined the elite Missile Technology Control Regime, which was a crucial step in opening up the possibility of India being able to buy these drones. India has previously purchased surveillance drones from Israel, as well as developed indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Nishant, and an accompanying launcher.[caption id="attachment_332363" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The DRDO Nishant with launcher, developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment. Image: Defense Research and Development Organisation[/caption]Previously, the US was not selling Predator drones to India under the assumption that they would be used against Pakistan, with whom the US was co-operating to tackle the Al-Qaeda. The shift of the fight to a battle against Islamic State Militants, as well as the codified protocols of missile use in the Missile Technology Control Regime, has made the US more willing to make these technologies available for India. These Predator drones are deployed by the US on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.