Acquisition of MQ-9B drones: Speculative reports uncalled for, says Ministry of Defence

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), on June 15, 2023, accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for acquisition of 31 MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for Tri-Services from the USA through Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route. The AoN included the number of UAVs to be procured along with associated equipment. The AoN noted the estimated cost of 3,072 million US dollars provided by the US Government. However, price will be negotiated once policy approval of the US Government is received. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will compare the acquisition cost with the best price offered by General Atomics (GA) to other countries. The procurement is in progress and would be completed as per the laid down procedure. Meanwhile, some speculative reports emerged in sections of social media referring to the price and other terms of purchase. According to the ministry of Defence, these reports are uncalled for, have ulterior motives and aimed at derailing the due acquisition process. Spreading of  such fake news/misinformation can have serious impact on the morale of the Armed Forces and adversely impact the acquisition process.