The Congress party has learnt no lesson from the humiliation it faced in the court in its allegations in the Rafale deal, as it has started to spread similar lies in the recently announced deal to purchased to MQ-9B drones from US. Days after the Union Defence Ministry clarified that no price has been finalised for the deal and called the reports on the price ‘fake news’, Congress party today repeated the same false allegations.
PM मोदी के महंगे शौक देश को महंगे पड़ रहे हैं।
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 28, 2023
जो प्रीडेटर ड्रोन दूसरे देश 4 गुना कम कीमत पर खरीदते हैं, उन्हें PM मोदी 880 करोड़ रुपए प्रति ड्रोन के हिसाब से खरीद रहे हैं।
यानि हम 25 हजार करोड़ रुपए के 31 ड्रोन खरीद रहे हैं।
: @Pawankhera जी pic.twitter.com/yDkVwkVRNn
Congress leader Pawan Khera addressed a press conference making several unsubstantiated claims about the General Atomics MQ-9B drones and the deal to procure 31 of them for Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The Congress leader alleged that India is paying $3 billion or ₹25,000 crore for 31 ‘Predator’ drones, at the rate of ₹880 crore per drone. He also claimed that other other countries have bought the same drone at one-fourth the price.
Pawan Khera also claimed that the drone is ‘outdated’, that the US does not use it now, and that they are selling ‘scrap’ drones to India from storage.
आपने पहले 'रुस्तम' और 'घातक' ड्रोन डेवलपमेंट के लिए DRDO को 1786 करोड़ रुपए दिए, फिर अमेरिका को भी 25 हजार करोड़ दे आए।
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 28, 2023
जबकि अमेरिका के ये ड्रोन आउटडेटेड टेक्नोलॉजी वाले हैं और बिना ट्रांसफर ऑफ टेक्नोलॉजी के साथ मिलेंगे।
यानी आप कबाड़ भी सस्ते के बजाए महंगे दाम पर खरीद रहे हैं।… pic.twitter.com/mbYicVsMDi
He also claimed that India is buying the drones after investing ₹1,786 crores for developing indigenous Rustom and Ghatak drones by DRDO. Taking a dig at the state dinner hosted by president Biden in honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pawan Khera alleged that the dinner is costing ₹25,000 crore. He also claimed that General Atomics CEO has closed ties with someone in the Modi government.
The Congress leader repeated already debunked lies about ‘expensive vehicles, expensive suites, expensive mushrooms, expensive aircraft, expensive glasses’ used by PM Modi, alleging that the PM’s ‘expensive lifestyle’ is costing the country dearly. However, every single sentence uttered by the Congress leader was a lie, most of which are already debunked.
Cost
The Congress leader claimed that the drone deal is worth 3 billion US dollars, or Rs 25,000 crores, but the fact is, the Defence Ministry has already clarified that no price has been finalised yet. The ministry said that while the US govt has cited 3,072 million US dollars as the estimated cost, the final price will be determined only after detailed discussions and bargaining.
The ministry clarified that while issuing the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) on June 15 for the deal, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) noted the estimated cost of $3,072 million provided by the US Government, but it has not been accepted and finalised. The ministry added that the price offered by the company to other purchasers will be considered during the negotiations.
Referring to reports that the deal will cost $3 billion, the ministry said that it is fake news spread with a motive to derail the deal. In this regard, all are requested not to spread fake news/misinformation which can have a serious impact on the morale of the Armed Forces and adversely impact the acquisition process, the ministry added in its statement.
As part of the deal, apart from supplying 31 drones, which include 16 SkyGuardian and 15 SeaGuardian drones, General Atomics will also establish a Comprehensive Global MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility in India to support of India’s long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities. Importantly, the drones will be assembled in India.
Pawan Khera also claimed that price details are mentioned in the India-US joint statement issued after PM Modi’s meeting with president Biden. But the fact is, the statement only mentions the deal, and has no mention of any price.
Price Comparison
Congress party and others in the opposition are claiming that UK paid just $200 million for 16 of the same drones in 2016, and therefore the price per drone was $12.5 million. However, they are misquoting the price from the reports they themselves are sharing. The same reports that say UK was about to purchase 16 drones for £180 million (around $200 million), also said that the UK bought the first 3 drones at £65 million (around $83 million), which means the price per drone was $27.7 million per drone, not $12.5 million.
The UK has exercised the option of purchasing 13 more drones at £195 million, or around $250 million. Which means, the price per unit for the 16 drones in total was around $21 million, almost twice the claimed price of $12.5 million. It is notable that even in the same deal, UK paid two different prices for the same drone.
It is notable that the drone UK purchased is Protector RG Mk1, a variant of MQ-9B. Drones, or most high-value defence equipment, are rarely purchased off the shelf, and buyers require a lot of customisations. Therefore, the prices paid by one buyer may not be the same as the price paid by another.
All other countries that are using the drone purchased its previous versions, MQ1 Predator, and MQ-9A Reaper, while India is buying the most recent version, the MQ-9B. Therefore, any price comparison with other countries is meaningless.
Outdated drone
Pawan Khera claimed that the Reaper is an outdated technology, the drone is no longer used by the US, and India is buying ‘scraps’ kept in storage. The fact is, the MQ-9B is the latest version of the MQ drone program, and also one of the most advanced drones in the world at present.
In fact, the US is currently using its previous version, which is also not outdated. US Air Force currently operates over 250 MQ-9A Reapers, the previous version, and it is the largest number of UAVs operated by the USAF. Security forces in the US are in fact starting to acquire MQ-9B variants only recently.
The MQ-9B SkyGuardian and MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones are very recent additions. In March this year, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) purchased three MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, which became the first customer in the US to use this drone. US Navy is currently conducting exercises with SeaGuardian drones owned by General Atomics.
While several countries have ordered the MQ-9B drones, there are no reports of any delivery. Therefore, far from being ‘outdated’, it is the next generation drones that no country operates at present, apart from just 3 being operated by the US. The US and other users of the drone are using its previous version MQ-9A, and that is also not outdated.
Predator vs Reaper
Pawan Khera kept claiming that India is purchasing the Predator drone, which is MQ-1 Drone. On the other hand, India is purchasing MQ-9B, which is larger, heavier, and has more capabilities. Moreover, this drone is called the Reaper, although sometimes it is also referred to as Predator B. Reaper has a 950 hp engine compared to the 115 hp engine of the Predator, and can carry 15 times more ordnance payload. Therefore, the prices of Predator can’t be compared with Reaper.
Reaper vs Rustam and Ghatak
Congress also attacked the Modi govt for purchasing the Reaper from the US while already investing in the development of Rustom and Ghatak drones by DRDO. But the fact is, they are different machines, and India needs all of them. MQ-9B Reaper is a hunter-killer drone with surveillance capabilities. It can carry bombs, guns and missiles, and carry out targeted attacks.
The Reaper can be equipped with Hellfire missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, Stinger missiles, laser-guided bombs, and other such weapons. It is a long-endurance high-altitude UAV, which means it can fly for a long time and can fly at very high altitudes.
DRDO Rustom is a Short Range Remotely Piloted Aircraft System which is used for Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition/ Tracking and Image Exploitation. The Rustom-II, known as TAPAS-BH-201, is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, meant for aerial surveillance. While it was reported that Rustom-II will be armed, with media calling it ‘India’s Predator’, DRDO has clarified that it is a UAV and not UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle).
The Reaper is also four times bigger than Rustom-II, and twice the heavier. Therefore, Reaper is not replacing Rustom, as they fulfil different requirements.
Moreover, the Rustom program is on its track, its user trials are going on, and the drones will be inducted soon. Reportedly, a separate program is also underway for the weaponization of the drone. However, given that it is much smaller than Reaper, the weapons it will be able to carry will be different.
DRDO Ghatak is an ambitious Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle being developed by DRDO, but the project is in its initial phases. Even a prototype of the drone is yet to be built, while DRDO tested a scaled-down technology demonstrator UAV in 2021. This project is also ongoing, and when completed, Ghatak will provide Reaper like capabilities.
But the drone will take substantial time to develop. Therefore, Indian defence forces require to purchase the Reaper from the US at present. The purchase is not undermining the indigenous drone development programs.
Rafale deal
Pawan Khera claimed that the drone deal is a scam just like the Rafale deal was a ‘scam’. But the fact is, despite tall claims of Rahul Gandhi, alleging Anil Ambani getting US$ 20 billion crore from the deal, the deal was cleared by the Supreme Court.
Multiple pleas were filed to stall the vital deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets, but the apex court had rejected them, finding no merit in them. The court later rejected review petitions also. In fact, Rahul Gandhi had to apologise for falsely claiming that Supreme Court had called PM Modi a thief while hearing the Rafale review plea.
Claims of PM’s Expensive lifestyle
Pawan Khera accused that lots of money are spent on ‘expensive lifestyle’ of PM Modi. Here are the facts in regard to that claim.
Vehicles: The vehicles used by the PM, President and other VVIPs are selected by the Special Protection Group (SPG). All heads of state and government use similar VIP armoured vehicles.
Aircraft: Earlier Indian PMs and Presidents used Air India’s Boeing 747 aircraft for international travel. The aircraft didn’t have critical security and communication facilities needs for the head of the state and head of the govt, therefore the govt decided to procure modern fuel-efficient aircraft for VVIP travel. Accordingly, two Boeing 777s have been converted for this purpose.
Notably, India didn’t purchase any new plane for this purpose, the two planes were taken from the planes purchased by Air India. The national airline went bankrupt due to ordering much greater number of planes that it needed during the UPA govt, and 2 777s from this was taken for converting to Air India One.
Suit: It was alleged by Congress in 2015 that PM Modi wore a suit worth ₹10 lakh, which was a completely baseless claim. It was later clarified that the pinstripe suit with the PM’s name monogrammed was a gift by a businessman.
Mushroom: For some reason, some Congress leaders and their allies believe that PM Modi consumes some very expensive mushrooms. In 2017, Congress ally in Gujarat Alpesh Thakor claimed that Narendra Modi turned fair because consumes mushrooms imported from Taiwan that cost Rs 80,000 per piece. “One mushroom costs Rs 80,000, and he eats five mushrooms a day,” he had claimed, saying that ‘someone told him’ about it. Thakor had claimed that PM Modi has been Mushrooms worth 1.2 crore in a month since he was Gujarat CM.
Obviously, it was a completely fake claim, but for some reason, the Congress leader chose to repeat it today.
Glasses: PM Modi is in fact known for sporting luxury sunglasses and watches, but nobody has ever alleged that these are purchased using public money. He is a PM and MP, and was CM and MLA for a long time. These jobs offer decent salaries and allowances, and has some of the best benefits, like free housing, travel etc. As a result, the PM, who is bachelor and vegetarian, can certainly save enough to spend his own money on glasses, watches, attire etc.
The purchase of the drones is done as per the requirement of Indian security forces, not some ‘lifestyle choice’ of the PM, as the Congress is alleging. Such high-value defence purchases go through a long process of deliberation. With ever-increasing threats from Pakistan and China in the north, India needs a lot of drones to monitor the vast border areas. Similarly, the navy needs to monitor a large area to protect against hostile forces and pirates.
Once again, the Congress party is trying to derail a defence deal with baseless allegations, just like it had tried with the Rafale deal.
