Final price will be compared, says Defence Ministry
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), on 15 June 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, said the Ministry of Defence.
The AoN noted the estimated cost of US$3,072 million provided by the US Government.
“However, price will be negotiated once policy approval of the US Government is received,” the Ministry said on 25 June 2023.
The Ministry said it 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.
Under the FMS route, a Letter of Request (LOR) would be sent to the US Government where Tri-services requirements, details of equipment and terms of the procurement would be included, said the Ministry.
Based on LOR, the US Government and MoD will finalise the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) where details of equipment and terms of the procurement would be negotiated and finalised in accordance with the FMS program and the price and terms offered by the US Government and GA to other countries. fiinews.com
