U.S. Approves Sale of 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian Armed UAVs to India Worth $4B

The United States has approved the sale of 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) to India with a budget of $3.99 billion.

According to a U.S. State Department release, the package  includes 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian UCAVs, 35 L3 Rio Grande Communications/Intelligence Sensor Suites, 170 AGM-114R Hellfire Missiles and 310 GBU-39B/B Laser Miniature Bombs.

The sensor package includes Selex SeaSpray AESA Radars, HISAR-300 radars and MX-20 electro-optical systems and many additional sensors.

At approximately $129 million per unit, this is the one of the most expensive drone packages - and also the most comprehensive -ever exported by the U.S.

The price compares to that of  fully armed fighter jets such as the F-16 and the Rafale.

The MQ-9B SkyGuardian can stay in the air for 27 hours operating at a height of 50,000 feet conducting non-stop surveillance. It can be brought down to an appropriate height in case it needs to attack a target.

The principal contractor will be General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Poway, CA. The purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.