Skip to main content

India Clears Deal To Build 2 Nuclear Submarines, Buy 31 Predator Drones

In a mega boost for the Indian Navy and surveillance capabilities of the defence forces, the Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared the major deals for building two nuclear submarines indigenously and buying 31 Predator drones from the US.

As per the plans, the Indian Navy will get two nuclear-powered attack submarines which will help boost its capabilities manifold in the Indian Ocean Region, top sources told ANI.

The deal for building the two submarines at the Ship Building Centre in Vishakhapatnam will be around Rs 45,000 crore and will see a major involvement of private sector firms like Larsen and Toubro, they said.

The deal had been hanging fire for a long time and the Indian Navy had been pushing it as it was a critical requirement for filling the underwater capability gaps.

India has plans of having six such boats in the long run as part of its submarine induction plans.

These boats which are going to be built under the ambitious Project Advanced Technology Vessel project, are separate from the five nuclear submarines being built under the Arihant class at the same location.

The other mega deal cleared today by the Cabinet Committee on Security is for the acquisition of 31 Predator drones from American General Atomics under a Foreign Military Sales contract between the two governments.

The deal had to be cleared before October 31 as the validity of the American proposal was till that time and now it is going to be signed in the next few days only.

As per the contract, the defence forces will start getting the drones over four years after signing the deal, they said.

The Indian Navy will get 15 of the 31 drones while the Army and the Indian Air Force will get eight each and also deploy them together at two bases in Uttar Pradesh.

Indian equipment made by DRDO and private sector firm Solar Industries may be used as the Make in India element on the 31 drones which are expected to be game changers in peacetime surveillance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)



from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/5MJCsf9

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Lanka Must Achieve Debt Restructuring By September: IMF

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday reaffirmed that Sri Lanka must achieve its debt restructuring process by September, which is also the time for the global lender's formal review of the bailout facility it extended to the cash-strapped nation. On March 20, IMF extended a nearly $3 billion bailout facility to debt-ridden Sri Lanka that would help stabilise the country's economy after it was jolted by a devastating economic crisis last year. In a statement issued on Tuesday at the end of a nearly two weeks staff visit to Colombo to assess the progress made by Sri Lanka since the agreement was reached, the IMF said the two sides had discussed the developments on debt restructuring. "Sri Lanka must achieve debt restructuring by its first review due in September. We also discussed progress on debt restructuring, noting the ongoing discussions with both foreign and domestic creditors," the statement read. Sri Lanka is still struggling to normalise its crisis-hi...

Amazon Rainforest Tribe's Secret To Healthy Life And Slow Ageing Revealed

Deep in the Amazon rainforest, a semi-nomadic indigenous community is thriving. This community defies conventional norms on ageing and health. The Tsimanes, consisting of 16,000 people, live a fully subsistence lifestyle, relying on hunting, foraging and farming to survive. Scientists have been studying this unique group for two decades, and have uncovered remarkable findings till now. Martina Canchi Nate, an 84-year-old Tsimanes woman, digs up yucca trees, cuts down plantain trees and carries heavy loads with ease, faster than her younger companions, as per a BBC report. This level of physical activity is not unusual among Tsimanes of her age. Researchers have discovered that this group has the healthiest arteries ever studied and brains that age more slowly than those in North America, Europe and elsewhere. The Tsimanes' secret lies in their active lifestyle, with an average of 16,000 to 17,000 steps per day. They spend less than 10 percent of daylight hours in sedentary activ...

Biden Warns "All Out War" Possible In Middle East

US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday of the possibility of an "all-out war" in the Middle East but said he was hopeful a settlement was still achievable for the conflict-torn region. Biden's comments as he appeared on ABC chat show "The View" came as Israel put troops on alert for possible entry into Lebanon and the war in Gaza grinds on. "An all-out war is possible," Biden said when asked about the situation. "What I think is, also, the opportunity is still in play to have a settlement that could fundamentally change the whole region." Biden appeared to raise the possibility of a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes targeting the Hezbollah militia have killed more than 600 people this week. "They have a possibility -- I don't want to exaggerate it -- there's a possibility if we can deal with a ceasefire in Lebanon that it can move into dealing with the West Bank as well," said Biden. Israel has been carrying ...