US-India drone deal approved after ‘painstaking discussions’ on Pannun foiled murder case: Senator

US Senator Ben Cardin, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the $3.9 billion drone deal with India was approved after “painstaking discussions” with President Joe Biden’s administration which assured that India is thoroughly investigating an alleged plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The US State Department on Thursday approved the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India at an estimated cost of $3.99 billion.

Several media reports claimed that Washington blocked the drone sale to India until New Delhi carried out a thorough probe into an Indian link to the failed plot Pannun. However, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the sale on Friday saying the US-India partnership plays a key role in the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, a day after the State Department did the same.

Under the deal, India will get 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs, of which the Navy will get 15 SeaGuardian drones, while the Army and the Indian Air Force will get eight each of the land version – SkyGuardian.

The deal was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in June last year. The Biden administration on Thursday informed the US Congress on its plan to sell 31 MQ-9B drones to India after Cardin removed his objections.