On Sunday, 25th of June, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-checked the claims being made on social media regarding the ongoing acquisition deal of MQ-9B drones between India and the United States of America. On its part, the nodal agency of the Government of India found that the claims were uncalled for, had ulterior motives, and were aimed at derailing the due acquisition process.
Going a step further, From its official fact-checking Twitter handle, PIBFactCheck, the agency explicitly called out the repeat offender and well-known fake-news peddler Saket Gokhale for making these misleading claims.
.@SaketGokhale has made a claim regarding the acquisition of MQ-9B drones #PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 25, 2023
➡️This claim is #Misleading
➡️This is the price quoted by the US govt. Price & the terms of purchase are yet to be finalised & are subject to negotiations
Read: https://t.co/mw1TTeeTzi pic.twitter.com/cKfxigzn6m
In the tweet, it shared the Ministry of Defence’s official statement regarding the ongoing deal and procurement process. Along with this, the agency outrightly clarified in two points that the claims made by TMC spokesperson Gokhale are misleading. Further, it stated that the purported price doing rounds in media reports is the price quoted by the US govt.
The agency categorically stated that the Price & the terms of purchase are yet to be finalised & are subject to negotiations.
On June 24, Gokhale posted a series of tweets, claiming that the drone deal is worth $3.1 billion, and compared with some other deals for the MQ-9B drone to claim that it is overpriced. He claimed that while the drone’s list price is $56.5 million per drone, the UK had purchased it at around $12.5 million per drone.
He had claimed, “Just like the Rafale deal, it seems that Modi Govt is AGAIN purchasing US drones at a SUPER OVERPRICED cost.”
Just like the Rafale deal, it seems that Modi Govt is AGAIN purchasing US drones at a SUPER OVERPRICED cost.
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) June 24, 2023
Question:
👉 Why is Modi Govt purchasing overpriced drones from US when cheaper similar versions are available?
👉 Whatever happened to "Atmanirbhar Bharat"?
(5/5)
Along with it, he also posted some media reports which claimed that the armed forces didn’t want the drone or wanted it in lesser numbers, but Modi govt is 31 of them under the pressure of the US govt.
However, the govt of India has clarified that no price has been fixed for the acquisition, and it will be decided only after negotiation, after comparing with prices paid by other countries for the drone. The defence ministry released a statement earlier today saying that while US has quoted $3.072 billion for the deal, it has not been accepted and finalised yet.
Hi @PIBFactCheck:
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) June 25, 2023
– Are news reports in Indian & foreign press claiming the deal price as $3bn+ for 31 drones incorrect? Why is your release coming now?
– Govt’s Defense Acquisition Council has sanctioned $3bn+ for 31 drones. Are you disputing that on the record?@Rajeev_GoI:… https://t.co/V0vF9YNCVm
Even after the PIBFactCheck tweet, Saket Gokhale stuck to his claim that the deal is worth $3.1 billion. He cited news reports claiming the amount, choosing to ignore the defence ministry clarification saying that media reports are incorrect.
He even ‘challenged‘ PIB to issue a statement saying that the price reported by the news outlets is wrong is misleading, completely ignoring that the PIB has already done it. In fact, the PIBFactCheck tweet included the link to the defence ministry statement published on the PIB website, which specifically said that the reports claiming the price are fake news. While he responded to the tweet, he chose to ignore the statement linked in the tweet.
Official statement of the Ministry of Defence
Earlier in the day, the Defence Ministry refuted claims that the MQ-9B drone deal with the US is worth $3 billion. It also emphasised that the price has not been finalised yet. The ministry stated that some speculative reports emerged in sections of social media referring to the price and other terms of purchase.
It said, “These are uncalled for, have ulterior motives and aimed at derailing the due acquisition process. Price and other terms & conditions of the purchase are yet to be finalised and subject to negotiations.”
The Ministry further stated 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 US dollars provided by the US Government, but it has not been accepted and finalised.
The Ministry said, “However, the price will be negotiated once policy approval of the US Government is received.”
The Ministry also asserted and ensured that the Ministry of Defence will compare the acquisition cost with the best price offered by General Atomics to other countries.
India is purchasing 31 drones made by General Atomics in a government-to-government deal, which includes 16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian drones. According to media reports, some of the drones will be assembled in India, and some of them will be armed.
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, also known as Predator B, is a High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. Originally developed for intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and surveillance, it is also used for offensive purposes as it can carry guns, bombs and missiles.
The air force version of the drone is called SkyGuardian, and its maritime version is called SeaGuardian. India Navy already operates two MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, taken on lease.
