Sources said that the General Atomics CEO suggested that a dedicated drone hub can be created in India to support the entire eco system of drones

General Atomics chief executive officer Vivek Lall told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday that India is an attractive destination for manufacturing of drones. The meeting gains importance as the prime minister is trying to acquire 30 Predator drones, which are manufactured by General Atomics, to muscle up India’s military capability.

“There are a lot of potential areas of collaboration that we’re in discussions with, I think US companies and many of my colleagues in US companies see India as a very promising destination," Lall, an Indian-American, said after meeting Modi.

The Predator deal first took root in the erstwhile Trump administration. In 2017, when Narendra Modi had visited the US, the two heads had discussed the deal after the Indian Army had shown interest in purchasing General Atomics Avenger UAV.

Named as ‘MQ-9 Reaper’ by the US Air Force and Royal Air Force customers, the Predator B is a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). According to defence contractors General Atomics, the drones possess the capabilities to be used for long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions over a wide-area. Easy configuration of the drone makes it easier to operate the aircraft during missions.

Lall has played a key role in lifting India-US strategic and defence partnership to a next level. He is credited with the bulk of advance technological platforms and weapons acquired by the Indian Armed Forces.