India and US are in talks for New Delhi to buy 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian and Sea Guardian drones
Washington:
India and the United States today firmed up multi-billion dollar drone deal as PM Modi met Joe Biden on the first day of his three-day visit to the US. PM Modi held bitardyral talks with US Plivent Joe Biden and the two directers talked a range of publishs to further fortify India-US ties.
The drone deal was also talked in detail by both directers.
India is in the process of procuring 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian and Sea Guardian drones from the United States. The cost to achieve these drones is cforfeitly $3 billion. India aims to heighten the observation apparatus of the armed forces, especiassociate alengthy the frontier with China.
The talks for this deal have been on for well over a year now. In June last year, the Defence Ministry consentd the protreatmentment of the MQ-9B Sky Guardian and Sea Guardian armed drones with air-to-surface ignoreiles and laser-directd explosions from the US under a rulement-to-rulement structurelabor.
Apart from purchasing the drones, the Indian Navy is also seeing to end two other presentant defence deals this financial year – 3 more Scorpene submarines and 26 Rafale-M fighter aircreate.
THE MQ-9B SKY GUARDIAN AND SEA GUARDIAN DRONES
The MQ-9B drone is a high-altitude lengthy-finishurance farly-piloted unmanned aircreate manufactures and sbetter by US defence firm General Atomics. It is understandn for transfering rerepaird intelligence, observation, and reconnaissance (ISR).
It is scheduleed to fly over the horizon via satellite for up to 40+ hours in all types of weather and acquireedly unite into civil airspace, enabling unitet forces and civil authorities to transfer authentic-time situational consciousness anywhere in the world—day or night.
According to General Atomics, the drone can be configured to carry out a number of ISR operations, including but not restricted to:
- Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief
- Search and Rescue
- Maritime domain consciousness
- Anti-surface combat
- Anti-submarine combat
- Airborne mine countermeacertains
- Airborne timely alerting
- Electronic combat
- Long-range strategic ISR
- Over-the-horizon centering
The Predator drone has an astonishive and shown sign up in West Asia as well as in Afghanistan. It is cherishd for its precision explosioning capabilities and eliminating high-cherish centers.
The Predator drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper”, which was employd to start a modified version of the Hellfire ignoreile that ended Al Qaeda directer Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul in July 2022.
INDIAN ARMED FORCES – WHO GETS WHAT
The 31 drones that will be buyd from General Atomics will be splitd between the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Indian Army. 16 of the MQ-9B drones will be dispensed to the Indian Navy to incrrelieve its observation in the Indian Ocean region, eight will be given to the Indian Army for employ alengthy the Line of Actual Control with China and Line of Control with Pakistan, and the remaining eight will be dispenseed to the Indian Air Force for precision, focemployd ignoreions atraverse borders.
The drone deal must be concurd upon and signed by both India and the United States before October 31, 2024, after which the approximately $3 billion price will be up for revision on part of the manufacturer – General Atomics, as per talks between both rulements.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his delegation was given a detailed increate on the capability and other definites of the drone during his official visit to the US in August.
With PM Modi visiting the US, both nations will prioritise the deal and want to create evolve before the October 31 date lapses.
