US mulling sale of armed drones to allies including India

[xataxsata]

US mulling sale of armed drones to allies including India

WASHINGTON: US is eyeing to sell its battle proved armed drones to key allies, including India, but the move is being opposed by lawmakers who don't want the technology to be exported.

"The Pentagon wants more North Atlantic Treaty Organization members to have such pilotless aircraft to ease the burden on the US in Afghanistan and in future conflicts like the alliance's air campaign in Libya this year," Obama Administration officials were quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying.

It is believed that India would be one of the potential target countries for the US to sell its drones.

India has been purchasing drones from Israel for quite some time now, and has been developing its drone capabilities, but does not have armed drones like the Predators and Reapers used by US security agencies with devastating effect against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan.

"The Pentagon's proposed sales have set off a behind-the-scenes debate between the administration and some members of Congress over whether the US should speed the spread of a technology that will allow other countries to carry out military strikes by remote control," the report said.

Drones have been highly successful in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan and also in countries like Yemen and Somalia.

However, the report some lawmakers are resisting to such a move from the Administration.

"There are some military technologies that I believe should not be shared with other countries, regardless of how close our partnership," said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein.

US mulling sale of armed drones to allies including India - The Economic Times

 

[53fd]

I doubt this will go through. Using drones against other nations is generally regarded as violating the sovereignty of the nation attacked. Even with the leeway the US has in the world arena, it's controversial drone program is being brought exposure in public, & I predict that even the US will have problems using it as profligately as it has been doing. India does not have that kind of leeway in the world arena, & with the high chances of civilians getting killed if something even goes slightly wrong, India would not want to take the risk.

As the US manufactures about 43% of the entire world's arms & military equipment (& is the only real prospering industry in the country), it is no surprise that it makes perfect business sense for them, like it has been doing in the past.

 

[Roybot]

I doubt this will go through. Using drones against other nations is generally regarded as violating the sovereignty of the nation attacked. Even with the leeway the US has in the world arena, it's controversial drone program is being brought in public, & I predict that even the US will have problems using it as profligately as it has been doing. India does not have that kind of leeway in the world arena, & with the high chances of civilians getting killed if something even goes slightly wrong, India would not want to take the risk.

As the US manufactures about 43% of the entire world's arms & military equipment (& is the only real prospering industry in the country), it is no surprise that it makes perfect business sense for them, like it has been doing in the past.

There are a lot of countries working on armed drones.

 

[Nalwa]

I doubt this will go through. Using drones against other nations is generally regarded as violating the sovereignty of the nation attacked. Even with the leeway the US has in the world arena, it's controversial drone program is being brought in public, & I predict that even the US will have problems using it as profligately as it has been doing. India does not have that kind of leeway in the world arena, & with the high chances of civilians getting killed if something even goes slightly wrong, India would not want to take the risk.

As the US manufactures about 43% of the entire world's arms & military equipment (& is the only real prospering industry in the country), it is no surprise that it makes perfect business sense for them, like it has been doing in the past.

Much ado, huh? Not all military technology has to be used rightaway. We can use drones as and when required. And who said we are going to use them against Pakistan. There are internal military operations for which we could use drones.

 

[53fd]

There are a lot of countries working on armed drones.

Yes, but the most advanced ones are the ones that the US has. The US is always ahead in cutting edge military technology. And it is the one that uses it most excessively as well.

 

[ares]

Well I guess it is a bad time, to stop being a US ally.

Pakistan has been asking for these drones for years..but as now US getting ready to export them to its allies ..Pakistan-US alliance is coming to an end.

 

[53fd]

Much ado, huh? Not all military technology has to be used rightaway. We can use drones as and when required. And who said we are going to use them against Pakistan. There are internal military operations for which we could use drones.

Of course you won't use them against Pakistan, but the margin of error is very little for them. What if you bomb & kill a whole village of regular tribals, people that have got nothing to do with the militants?

 

[xataxsata]

I doubt this will go through. Using drones against other nations is generally regarded as violating the sovereignty of the nation attacked. Even with the leeway the US has in the world arena, it's controversial drone program is being brought in public, & I predict that even the US will have problems using it as profligately as it has been doing. India does not have that kind of leeway in the world arena, & with the high chances of civilians getting killed if something even goes slightly wrong, India would not want to take the risk.

As the US manufactures about 43% of the entire world's arms & military equipment (& is the only real prospering industry in the country), it is no surprise that it makes perfect business sense for them, like it has been doing in the past.

This was the same kind of we have heard from some pakistanis who were saying Australia will never sell uranium to India.

The geopolitics is amazing just wait and watch.

 

[53fd]

This was the same kind of we have heard from some pakistanis who were saying Australia will never sell uranium to India.

The geopolitics is amazing just wait and watch.

If India is sensible, it won't go through with the deal. The US wants to sell off their armed drones to India, it makes perfect business sense for them. But India does not have the leeway in the international arena like the US is, & drones are getting controversial by the day. Just recently, many US drones got hacked. What if something goes slightly wrong on India's end, & it ends up killing a hell lot of civilians as compared to militants?

 

[xataxsata]

If India is sensible, it won't go through with the deal. The US wants to sell off their armed drones to India, it makes perfect business sense for them. But India does not have the leeway in the international arena like the US is, & drones are getting controversial by the day. Just recently, many US drones got hacked. What if something goes slightly wrong on India's end, & it ends up killing a hell lot of civilians as compared to militants?

We don't care we just want stealth drones it will come handy in surgical strikes as well as destroying SAM and radar stations.

 

[Pioneerfirst]

These armed drones can be only useful against insurgents or loosely defended areas,they none of use for India as they are of huge size and can easily be detected by radars.Well,drones like RQ-170 may be useful as they are stealth but probably they will not be exported.

Pakistan was asking for armed drones to use against Taliban,for us they are not much of use against India.
for surveillance smaller drones can do well for us.

 

[indushek]

Well here is an article which talks about drones and their unlawful uses, i just quoted four points mainly from there. Would request professionals to comment on this.


In her testimony to a sub-committee of the US Congress in April last year, Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell made it clear how illegal armed (combat) drones are. The following month she took part in a debate on the subject at Chatham House, London. She made the following points:


>Terrorist acts are criminal offences, and therefore properly dealt with by law enforcement agencies.
>Drones are battlefield weapons.and are not lawful for use outside combat zones.
>Outside such zones, police are the proper law enforcement agents and police are generally required to warn before using lethal f orce.
>Drones cannot comply with police rules for the use of lethal force away from the battlefield. In law enforcement it must be possi ble to warn before using lethal force (in war-fighting this is not necessary, making the use of bombs and missiles lawful).

The link Armed Drones: A Diabolical Revolution in the "Art of War"

 

[Raje amar]

better India keep focused on its own UAV program.
We have lined up with Rustom, Aura, Lakshya.

They will bring more benifits to us.

 

[perplexed]

why is that whenever we tend to make some meaningful developments in any field be it BMD or UAVs or ATGMs, US are more than willing to sell us those weapons ? and the same people snubbed us when we asked for them earlier ?

earlier they even kept our LCA datasheets etc and are now willing to sell F35 ?

IMO, it is easy to fall for these offers(if true).... difficult job is to create the domestic technical know how in these critical technologies... which is the sensible thing to go for..

 

[WHITESMOKE]

Not a bad idea to get some and study them to help indigenous UAVs