# India signs $3.9B MQ-9B deal and a 10-year defence framework with the United States > 31 armed Predators split among all three services, 21 assembled in India; Rajnath Singh and Hegseth signed a decade-long partnership in Kuala Lumpur; COMPACT and TRUST replace iCET as the joint-tech architecture **Meta:** type: story · date: 2024-10-15 · heads: 誰の金か, 静かな変化, 長期戦 · 12 takes · 6 lenses · 3 regions ## Summary The [India](/ja/entity/india)-[United States](/ja/entity/united-states) defence relationship has moved from statements to contracts across three interlocking tracks since 2024. First: the Cabinet Committee on Security approved 31 MQ-9B armed drones on 9 October 2024 and the contract was signed on 15 October 2024 via FMS at approximately $3.5-3.9B, the largest single US-India defence deal to date. The split is 15 Sea Guardian variants for the Navy, 8 Sky Guardian each for the Army and Air Force, with deliveries running 2027-2030. General Atomics CEO Vivek Lall disclosed that 21 of 31 drones will be assembled in India in partnership with Bharat Forge, HAL and BEL, the largest US drone manufacturer Make-in-India commitment. Second: on 13 February 2025 [Narendra Modi](/ja/entity/narendra-modi) and President Trump launched COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology), announcing Javelin ATGM and Stryker IFV co-production in India, six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, and the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance with Anduril and Mahindra Group; the TRUST framework replaced iCET covering semiconductors, AI and quantum. Third: on 31 October 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed the 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership, the third such document after 2005 and 2015. Running alongside these: the Security of Supply Arrangement signed August 2024 (India became the 18th signatory) and negotiation of a Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement that would allow Indian firms to bid for US DoD contracts. ## The split The Indian establishment (PIB, IANS, Indian Express) frames the MQ-9B deal and COMPACT as validation of [India](/ja/entity/india)'s rise as a trusted partner rather than a subordinate buyer; the "Make in India" assembly clause and TRUST's technology pillars are cited as evidence of genuine strategic depth. Carnegie Endowment and US think-tank coverage reads the same data more cautiously: the foundational agreements stack (SOSA, LEMOA, COMCASA, BECA) gives the US significant operational visibility into Indian armed forces, and the RDPA still faces Congressional obstacles. Pakistani commentary (Dawn, Express Tribune) frames the deepening India-US defence relationship as the structural context for the 2025 India-Pakistan clashes, arguing US enablement of Indian ISR capacity was a material factor. ## By the numbers - $3.5-3.9B, MQ-9B deal value (15 Sea Guardian, 16 Sky Guardian). - 21 of 31, drones to be assembled in India (General Atomics/Bharat Forge/HAL/BEL). - 2027-2030, MQ-9B delivery window. - 31 October 2025, 10-year US-India Major Defence Partnership Framework signed. - 18th, India's place in the Security of Supply Arrangement global roster. ## Why it matters The MQ-9B gives [India](/ja/entity/india) a MALE UCAV capability it has sought since the Balakot airstrikes revealed intelligence and persistent-surveillance gaps. The 21-in-India assembly clause makes [India](/ja/entity/india) a manufacturing node for the platform rather than a one-time buyer, which matters for long-term maintenance autonomy. The 10-year framework and COMPACT mark the first time the US has explicitly committed to Stryker and Javelin co-production with India, opening a land-systems technology transfer track alongside the air and naval tracks already underway with France. Whether the Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement gets ratified will signal how far Washington is willing to go beyond procurement toward genuine industrial integration. ## What to watch - First MQ-9B delivery in 2027 and whether the armed configuration is cleared by the US for export. - Javelin co-production formal contract and timeline. - RDPA ratification in the US Congress and its effect on Indian private-sector access to DoD contracts. - Whether India activates COMCASA-shared intelligence during any future border confrontation. ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### unlabelled - **PIB / Government of India** (India, en) — Government of India record of the Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership signed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on 31 October 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, covering military exercises, information-sharing, co-development and specific co-production programmes. Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2184622 - **White House (Joint Leaders' Statement)** (United States, en) — The US-India joint leaders' statement of 13 February 2025, launching COMPACT and announcing co-production of Javelin ATGMs and Stryker IFVs in India, six additional P-8I orders, and the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance for maritime drone co-development. Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/02/united-states-india-joint-leaders-statement/ - **US Department of Defense** (United States, en) — Pentagon fact sheet on the 10-year US-India Major Defence Partnership Framework, listing specific cooperation pillars: undersea domain awareness, air combat, ISR, munitions, mobility and the SOSA-LEMOA-COMCASA-BECA foundational-agreements stack. Source: https://media.defense.gov/2025/Nov/13/2003820236/-1/-1/1/FACT-SHEET-FRAMEWORK-FOR-THE-US-INDIA-MAJOR-DEFENSE-PARTNERSHIP.PDF - **India News Network** (India, en) — Source: https://www.indianewsnetwork.com/en/20241017/what-4-billion-weaponised-predator-drone-deal-with-us-means-for-indian-defence - **Business Standard (SOSA)** (India, en) — Source: https://www.business-standard.com/external-affairs-defence-security/news/pentagon-signs-agreement-with-mod-for-supply-of-defence-equipment-124082301080_1.html - **TFI Post (Javelin)** (India, en) — Source: https://tfipost.com/2025/07/india-seeks-javelin-missile-co-production-deal-with-u-s-under-make-in-india-push/ - **Carnegie Endowment (TRUST)** (United States, en) — Source: https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2025/04/what-is-the-india-united-states-trust-initiative?lang=en ### European defence-industrial - **Army Recognition** (France, en) — Covers the October 2024 MQ-9B contract signing, the split of 15 Sea Guardian for the Navy and 8 Sky Guardian each for Army and Air Force, delivery schedule 2027-2030, and the MRO facility General Atomics will establish in India. > "The United States and India concluded a $3.5 billion deal for 31 MQ-9B armed drones, split across all three Indian services with deliveries scheduled from 2027 to 2030." Source: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2024/united-states-and-india-conclude-3-5-billion-deal-for-31-mq-9b-drones ### US defence-technology - **DefenseScoop** (United States, en) — Reports Modi-Trump launch of COMPACT on 13 February 2025, including the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance between Anduril and Mahindra Group for maritime drone co-development, and the TRUST initiative replacing iCET across semiconductors, AI and quantum. > "Trump and Modi announced COMPACT, launching an Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance between US and Indian firms for maritime drone co-development." Source: https://defensescoop.com/2025/02/14/trump-modi-announce-us-india-autonomous-systems-industry-alliance/ ### Indian news agency - **IANS Live** (India, en) — Indian news agency account of the 31 October 2025 ADMM-Plus sideline signing of the 10-year defence framework by Rajnath Singh and Pete Hegseth, the third such framework after 2005 and 2015. > "Rajnath Singh and US Defense Secretary Hegseth signed a 10-year framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership, the most ambitious of the three such documents signed." Source: https://ianslive.in/defence-minister-rajnath-singh-us-war-secretary-hegseth-sign-10-year-framework-for-the-us-india-major-defence-partnership--20251031121155 ### US strategic analysis - **Carnegie Endowment** (United States, en) — March 2026 Carnegie analysis of the proposed Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement under negotiation, which would allow Indian firms to bid for US DoD contracts on terms comparable to NATO allies, and assesses the political obstacles to ratification. > "A Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement could allow Indian firms to compete for US contracts alongside NATO allies, a significant structural upgrade in the defence relationship." Source: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/03/what-could-a-reciprocal-defense-procurement-agreement-do-for-us-india-ties ### Indian defence-research community - **IDRW** (India, en) — Cites General Atomics CEO Vivek Lall disclosing that 21 of the 31 MQ-9B drones will be assembled in India in partnership with Bharat Forge, HAL and BEL, with a dedicated MRO facility, the largest-ever Make-in-India commitment by a US drone manufacturer. > "General Atomics CEO confirmed 21 of 31 MQ-9B drones for India will be assembled domestically, partnering with Bharat Forge, HAL and BEL." Source: https://idrw.org/india-to-assemble-21-mq-9b-predator-drones-general-atomics/ ## Across the graph - Related: [[india-tejas-mk2-amca-2026]], [[india-pakistan-isolation-backfire]], [[sipri-2025-arms-transfers-europe-surge]] - Entities: India, United States, Narendra Modi --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ja/n/india-us-mq9b-predator-2026