India expressed interest in purchasing a first batch of 40 US-made Predator C "Avanger" unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to Reuters, India expressed interest in purchasing a first batch of 40 US-made Predator C "Avanger" unmanned aerial vehicles. The Indian Navy could purchase the unarmed Predator XP for ISR missions, while the Indian Air Force shown interest for the armed Predator C, said officials.
In 2015, India gave the green light for the acquisition of Heron TP UAVs, produced by Israel Aerospace Industries. The aircraft was acquired to monitor Kashmir’s mountains, a region disputed with Pakistan and China.

The U.S. government last year cleared General Atomics' proposal to market the unarmed Predator XP in India, said Reuters, but neither India nor US gave additional details about the future delivery of the drones.

The Indian Air Force reportedly asked US about the acquisition of about 100 armed Predator C Avenger UAVs. But this would need approval from the Missile Technology Control Regime group as well as from the US Congress before any transfer of armed Predators could happen, Reuters said, quoting officials.

The General Atomics Avenger, or formerly Predator C, is a developmental unmanned combat air vehicle built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the U.S. military. The Avenger is powered by a sole Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545B turbofan. It reaches a maximum speed of 740 km/h and has a service ceiling of 15,240 m. It has an endurance of 18 hours.