The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reviewed and approved amendments to the deal for 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) from general Atomics of the US, according to defence sources. The DAC also gave approval to proposal regarding the scheduled refit of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya later this year, sources said.

“The amendments approved are within the scope of the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) that was granted for the MQ-9B deal. They are related to the indigenous content and related aspects,” a defence source said.

Official sources said that the US has completed the process from its end with letter of offer and acceptance to India delivered early March and its now for India to complete the procedure before the deal can be signed. In the final step, the deal has to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security, before it can be inked. With the Quad leaders summit scheduled to be hosted by India in December, the MQ-9B deal as well as the GE-414 jet engine deal are expected to be concluded during the visit of the U.S. President to India.

India is looking to procure 31 MQ-9B UAVs, 15 Sea Guardians for the Indian Navy and 16 Sky Guardians – eight each for the Indian Army and Air Force, estimated to cost $3.99 billion. As part of the deal, General Atomics is scheduled to establish a Global Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India which would count towards offset obligations.

The DAC also accorded AoN, the first step of the procurement process, for procurement of Advanced Land Navigation System (ALNS) for Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) of the Army and 22 Interceptor Boats for the Coast Guard. “The ALNS MK-II is compatible with Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, NAVigation using Indian Constellation (IRNSS, NavlC), India in addition to Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS),”the defence ministry said in a statement. “The system is spoof-proof with high levels of encryption.”

The ALNS MK-II offers compatibility with defence series maps resulting in very high accuracy in navigational applications for AFVs, according to the statement. This equipment will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited, Chennai under Buy [Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (lDDM)] category of the procurement procedure.

The second AoN is for procurement of 22 Interceptor Boats for the Coast Guard with latest state-of-art system capable of quick interception and shallow water operation in territorial waters, the Ministry said. “These boats will be used for coastal surveillance & patrolling, search & rescue operations, including medical evacuation,” it added.

(With Inputs From Agencies)