India will purchase 10 missile-armed Heron unmanned aerial vehcilesUAVs from Israel in a $400 million deal, according to Indian news site Economic Times.
“Senior defense ministry officials told ET on the condition of anonymity that the project has been accelerated under directions from the highest levels of government and that armed drones may join service within a year,” Economic Times said. “The armed forces had proposed buying the same armed drones in 2012.”
India already flies the unarmed version of the Heron, as well as Israel’s Searcher ISR UAV.
