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The average estimated cost of MQ-9B long endurance drones offered by the US to India is 27 per cent lower than the price incurred by other countries, a senior government official said on Thursday, asserting that Indian representatives will work to reduce it further during negotiations. He also categorically underlined that so far negotiations on the pricing issue have not begun and expressed confidence that the final price will be competitive compared to the costs borne by other countries. The prices can be revised upwards only if India seeks additional features, he said. The latest official development towards the proposed acquisition of 31 of these drones has been the “acceptance of necessity” accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council, which happened on June 15. The pricing issue is not part of this, he added. The indicative cost of the drones offered by the US government is $3,072 million.This works out to be $99 million for each drone, he said, adding that it cost the UAE, one of the few countries to have it, USD 161 million a piece. The MQ-9B India is looking to acquire is comparable with the UAE’s but with a better configuration, he said.