In a landmark deal, the US approved the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India at an estimated cost of 3.99 billion dollars. The sale of drones will bolster India’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation.
India is procuring the long-endurance drones to bolster the surveillance capabilities of its armed forces, especially along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Under the deal, India will get 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs, of which the Navy will get 15 SeaGuardian drones, while the Army and the Indian Air Force will get eight each of the land version SkyGuardian.
Here is all you need to know about the MQ-9B armed drones and how it will boost India’s defence capabilities:
All About MQ-9B Drones
The MQ-9B has two variants: the SkyGuardian and its maritime variant the SeaGuardian. The ‘M’ stands for multi-role, while the ‘Q’ refers to a remotely piloted aircraft system and the ‘9’ means the ninth in the series of remotely piloted aircraft systems.
The MQ-9B SkyGuardian is a next generation of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), delivering persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance around the globe, according to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
The SkyGuardian drone is designed to fly in the sky via satellite for up to 40 hours in all types of weather and safely integrate into civil airspace, enabling joint forces and civil authorities to deliver real-time situational awareness anywhere in the world and throughout the day.
The aircraft is outfitted with the revolutionary Lynx Multi-mode Radar, an advanced electro-optical/infrared sensor, automatic take-off and landing, and features a longer wingspan than its predecessors at 79 feet.
The drone can be configured to conduct a number of operations including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, search and rescue, law enforcement, border enforcement, defensive counter air, airborne early warning and others.
What is the SeaGuardian Version?
MQ-9B SeaGuardian is the maritime-focused version of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) that has been missionized using “bolt-on/bolt-off” maritime sensors. It can fly for over 30 hours in all types of weather and throughout the day and safely integrate into civil airspace, enabling joint forces and civil authorities to deliver real-time situational awareness anywhere in the maritime domain.
The drone not only integrates the most advanced maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) capabilities, but it is also the first RPAS in its class to enable real-time search and patrol above and below the ocean’s surface.
Has India Been Using MQ-9A Drones?
The Indian Navy has leased two MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones from General Atomics with the maiden flight taking place on November 21, 2020.
In their two years of operation till November 2022, the drones completed 10,000 flight hours and “helped the Indian Navy to cover over 14 million square miles of operating area”, General Atomics announced. The lease period has been extended subsequently.
How is MQ-9 Better Than Predecessors?
The MQ-9 is a major technological leap from the original RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator that led the arrival of long endurance armed drones in the late twentieth century.
Armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, the predator drones became a symbol of the US war on terror after the 9/11 attacks. It was extensive deployed in Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan in the early 2000s.
The RQ-1 Predator, first flown by the US Air Force in 1995, was retired in 2018 and replaced by the MQ-9 Reaper, according to The Hindu.
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