Lucknow Press
India-US Drone Deal News: Both China and Pakistan are strengthening their fleet of armed drones. In such a situation, India is rapidly moving forward with negotiations to purchase 31 armed MQ-9B ‘Hunter-Killer’ remote-controlled aircraft from the US. An ambitious target has been set to sign this big deal by November-December this year.
According to a Times of India report, Defence Ministry sources said techno-commercial discussions for an inter-governmental contract for 31 armed high-altitude, long-endurance drones are “now at an advanced stage”. This includes 15 Sea Rakshaks for the Navy, 8 each for the Army and the Indian Air Force.
According to reports, China has increased the supply of its armed Cai Hong-4 and Wing Loong-II drones to Pakistan. A source said, ‘Pakistan has asked for 16 more armed CH-4 drones from China. It already has seven CH-4 drones in the army and three in the navy.’
What are the special features of MQ-9B Reaper?
MQ-9B Reaper or Predator-B drone is designed to fly for about 40 hours at an altitude of more than 40,000 feet for surveillance. They are equipped with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and smart bombs for precision attack. They are considered far better than Chinese armed drones.
The operational utility of the MQ-9B drone is strengthened by the extensive ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) missions being carried out by two unarmed Sea Guardian drones. The Guardian drones are leased from US firm General Atomics.
The MQ-9B drones will be deployed in the vast Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as well as the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control with China.
The US has set a price of $3.9 billion (more than Rs 33,500 crore) for the deal
. This includes 31 armed MQ-9B drones and related equipment, including 170 Hellfire missiles, 310 GBU-39B precision-guided glide bombs, navigation systems, sensor suites and mobile ground control systems.
The Indian negotiating team is trying to reduce the cost. A source said, ‘The price and terms offered by the US government and General Atomics to other countries are being taken into consideration. All efforts are on to complete the deal within this calendar year after getting the final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security.’
Under the deal, the drones will be assembled in India, while General Atomics will also buy some components from Indian companies and set up a global MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) facility here.
The armed forces expect the first 10 MQ-9B drones to be inducted within a few years of the contract being signed, depending on General Atomics’ production capacity. The rest will arrive in batches every six months.
The plan is to deploy fighter-sized drones at ISR command and control centres at Arakkonam and Porbandar for the Indian Ocean region and Sarsawa and Gorakhpur for the land borders.
An official said, “With their long-range hunting capabilities, such drones are needed at a time when Chinese naval incursions are set to increase in the IOR.”
