India had decided to acquire medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) armed Predator-B drone plan from the US amid the recent stand-off with the Chinese army.
The particular drone not only collects intelligence through surveillance but also locates and destroys the target with missiles or laser-guided bombs. Previously, the US has used the drone in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
The development also comes amid Beijing’s plan to a 48 GJ-2 drones, the military version of Wing Loong II, to be used by Pakistan air force, The Hindustan Times reported. India had earlier planned to develop indigenous drones with the help of Noida-based private entities, China’s ‘support’ to Pakistan has prompted renewed interest in drones.
China is in the process of supplying four-armed drones to Pakistan, to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the new Chinese base at Gwadar port in Balochistan.
Sources on Sunday informed the media about the development and said that the Gwadar port is reportedly described as the ‘crown jewel’ of China’s $60 billion investment in Belt and Road Initiative projects in Pakistan.
Reportedly, China has emerged as the largest exporter of armed drones, as it has already been selling to several countries in Asia and West Asia, including delivering 163 UAVs to dozen-odd countries like Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from 2008 to 2018.
Another reason why countries might be preferring the imports from China is that, unlike the US, China doesn’t follow any elaborate process to determine and regulate the use of weapons.
