New Delhi: In a boost to surveillance capabilities of the Indian Navy and defence forces, the Cabinet Committee on Defence on Wednesday approved key deals to build two nuclear submarines indigenously and procure 31 Predator drones from the US.The Cabinet Committee on Defence approved the deals worth a total of ₹ 80,000 crore.

The Indian Navy will get two nuclear-powered attack submarines that will help it multiply its capabilities in the Indian Ocean region. According to sources, the deal for building the two submarines at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam is worth around Rs 45,000 crore and will have major participation from private sector firms like Larsen & Toubro.

The deal was pending for a long time

The deal was pending for a long time and the Indian Navy was pushing for it as it was a critical requirement to meet the shortage of underwater capability. India plans to add six such submarines to its fleet in the long term as part of its indigenous submarine induction plan.

Purchased 31 Predator drones from US General Atomics

These submarines, which are being built under the ambitious Project Advanced Technology Vessel project, are different from the five nuclear submarines being built under the Arihant class at the same site. The second big deal approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs is to buy 31 Predator drones from US General Atomics.

This deal is under the Foreign Military Sales Agreement between India and America. This deal had to be approved before 31 October as the American proposal was valid till then. Now it will be signed in the next few days.

The Air Force will get eight drones each

He said that as per the contract, the defence forces will start receiving drones four years after signing the deal. The Indian Navy will get 15 out of 31 drones. The Army and the Air Force will get eight drones each.