Cabinet Committee on Security okays sourcing 31 armed drones from US

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a meeting on Wednesday, has okayed two strategic projects – to source 31 armed drones from the US and to make two nuclear-powered attack submarines indigenously.

The nuclear-powered submarines will be different from the existing indigenous Arihant class nuclear subs. The two subs okayed are known in naval parlance as Ship Submarine Nuclear (SSN), which means they will be nuclear-powered but need not carry nuclear-tipped missiles.

The Arihant class, that would have five subs, is known as Ship Submarine Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN) – meaning they have been designed to carry nuclear-tipped missiles and also fire them from underwater.  So far two subs – the INS Arihant and INS Arighaat – have been commissioned.

The two subs okayed today are part of the plan to make six such vessels. These, like the Arihant class, will be made at the Ship Building Centre in Vishakhapatnam. The expected cost of each sub is to be around Rs 20,000 crore.

A leading private sector company, Larsen and Toubro, which made the hull of the Arihant class, are expected to join the project. India’s submarine making plan envisages 30 subs of various types.

The CCS also okayed the acquisition of 31 Predator drones from American company General Atomics under a Foreign Military Sales contract between the two governments.

These drones can fly up to 40 hours at a stretch. These can be armed with precision strike missiles which can hit targets at sea, on land and in air. These can provide surveillance with real-time imagery and videos.

The deal is expected to be signed in the next few days. The Indian armed forces will start getting the drones over four years. The Indian Navy will get 15 of the 31 drones while the Army and the IAF will get eight each.