India set to revive Predator-B plan amidst stand off with China

New Delhi, July 06: In a bid to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Chinese are in the process of supplying 4 attack drones to Pakistan.

The move comes in the wake of China's plan of jointly producing 48-GJ drones for use by the Pakistan Air Force. China has emerged as the largest exporter of armed drones after it started selling the strike drone Win Loong-II to several countries in West Asia and Asia.

China had delivered 163 UAVs to several countries including Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and UAE between 2008 and 2018, according to a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

India, on the other hand, has been negotiating with the US for the medium altitude long endurance armed Predator-B drone. This not only collects intelligence, but can also locate and destroy the target with missiles or laser-guided bombs.