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India signs deal with US to procure 31 Predator drones

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India signs deal with US to procure 31 Predator drones

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the acquisition of 31 Predator drones last week.

India will procure 31 Predator drones from the US defense major, General Atomics, under a government-to-government framework, officials said on Tuesday.

The two countries today signed the much-anticipated deal.

The Indian Navy will get 15 Sea Guardian drones whereas the Indian Air Force and Army will receive eight Sky Guardian drones each, reported PTI.

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Under the ₹32000 crore deal, a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility will also be launched in India, The deals were signed by both sides in the presence of senior officials, said defence officials.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the acquisition of 31 Predator drones last week.

The American team of military and corporate officials are in India for the inking of these contracts.

Top Indian defence officials, including Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager for the naval systems, were slated to be present during the signing ceremony.

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India had been discussing the deal with the US for many years but the final hurdles were cleared a few weeks ago at the Defence Acquisition Council meeting.

What are Predator drones?

The MQ-9B ‘hunter-killer’ drones will crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the contested frontier with China.

In June last year, the Defence Ministry approved the procurement of the MQ-9B Predator armed drones from the US under a government-to-government framework.

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The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper” which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile that eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul in July 2022.

Also read: Centre clears crucial plan for submarines, Predator drones

The high-altitude long-endurance drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs.

The Sea Guardian drones are being procured as they can carry out a variety of roles including maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and over-the-horizon targeting among others.

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The high-altitude long-endurance drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs.

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Bollywood

Kareena Kapoor says ‘Taimur probably doesn’t even know all the drama’ that erupted around his name

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Kareena Kapoor says ‘Taimur probably doesn’t even know all the drama’ that erupted around his name

Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan welcomed their elder son Taimur in December 2016. After the row, Saif had even suggested renaming Taimur.

Actor Kareena Kapoor has opened up about the controversy around the name of her elder son Taimur Ali Khan. MissMalini Showbiz posted a video on Instagram in which the actor shared how the row affected her. She also added that her husband-actor Saif Ali Khan “was very relaxed and calm about it”. She also recalled her grandfather Raj Kapoor’s advice on how to react when people talk about celebrities. (Also Read | When Saif Ali Khan considered renaming Taimur: ‘We drafted a pathetic letter, Kareena was against it’)

Kareena recalls Raj Kapoor’s advice

Kareena said that he had told her that if people are “talking about you, good or bad, they are talking about you, otherwise why would they talk”. Raj Kapoor had added that that she has to take it in her stride “if you want to be a superstar otherwise this place isn’t for you”. He advised her to have “patthar ka dil (be strong)”.

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Kareena talks about row around Taimur’s name

Kareena said, “Of course, it affected me that people were talking about his name. He probably doesn’t even know that there was a whole drama and now suddenly everybody if like, ‘Ok whatever’. But he also got a lot of love for the fact that people were so interested in him. I was like, ‘But why? Because you don’t even know him, he is so small’. So I feel that now he will slowly understand and is understanding the whole culture of the fact that people follow him or he is being clicked.”

Kareena shares what Saif had told her

She added, “But I have to obviously keep reminding him that, ‘It’s important that you do something, your parents have done something.’ So he has figured it out slowly and I took that in my stride. In fact, Saif was very relaxed and calm also about it. He was like, ‘We need to be calm and we need to be sure.’ So I’m happy we had each other to discuss that. That’s also the reason why I share a lot on Instagram but yet I don’t share a lot on Instagram. I’m happy to be accessible to my fans for what they need to see. But there’s also a side because of everything I’ve been through I’m always gonna be a little away.”

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Row around Taimur’s name

Taimur was born in Dcember 2016 and when his parents decided his name there was an uproar. The decision attracted much controversy, with Saif even suggesting at one point that he was open to renaming the boy. Kareena had a few years ago said that a prominent film industry personality rudely told her that she’d made a mistake by naming her child Taimur. In 2017, Saif told Mumbai Mirror that he was aware of why people were upset. Many drew a connection to the Turkish invader Timur. Saif and Kareena have two sons–Tamir and Jehangir Ali Khan (Jeh), born in 2021.

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