Interviewtimes 
India is in a developing stage Talks with the US to purchase more than $3 billion of armed drones to enhance surveillance along the Chinese border and in the Indian Ocean region.
The development comes as foreign minister S. Jaishankar accuses China of “violating” border agreements “dating to his 1990s that prohibit the movement of large armed forces to border areas.”
What’s so special?
The MQ-9B is a hunter-killer drone, basically a variant of his MQ-9 Reaper drone used to kill Al Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri in Kabul last month. A High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drone can remain in the air for more than 35 hours and carry 4 hellfire missiles and about 450 kg of bombs. It is available in two variants SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian. The latter is in use by the Indian Navy and in 2020 which leased two of them for one year and later extended.
Jaishankar, who is on his tripartite tour of South America, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, citing China, said India needs “mutual respect and compassion” from China, adding, “It’s no secret that we’re going through hardships,” he added. It’s a very difficult stage. ” Acquiring the drones would be another step for us to expand India-US military cooperation. In February 2020, India signed her US$2.6 billion contract with the US to procure 24 of his MH-60 Romeo helicopters for the Indian Navy, with deliveries already underway. This was preceded by the signing of a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) in 2016, allowing both sides to use each other’s bases for repairs and resupply.
