Unmanned Aerial Vehicle The latest drone news
The long awaited deal for 30 drones from the US-based General Atomics is expected to be finalised soon. The deal which is pegged at under $3 billion will be government to government, through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route.
Financial Express Online has reported earlier this month that the deal is on and the US side has offered technology to enable the Indian Navy to make High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones locally in India. These drones will help the Indian Navy in beefing up its surveillance in the Indian Ocean region.
Is the Predator deal off the table?
No, said the Vice Chief of Indian Navy Vice Admiral SN Ghormade. He was responding to a question if the Predator Drones Deal was off the table, raised during a press conference on the eve of the commissioning of the IAC `Vikrant’.
He said the focus is on indigenous solutions for drones like Predator Drones. “We would want the research and development organisation to develop its own capabilities of a High Altitude Long Endurance unmanned aerial vehicle,” the VCNS added.
The talks between India and the US on the deal are already in advanced stages and are expected to be sealed soon. “These drones are expected to replace the Israeli Herons which have completed their life cycle,” said a source in the Defence establishment.
Also Read: US offers ToT to build HALE Drones in India
India has plans to buy 10+10+10 Predator (MQ-9) series UAVs for all the three services – Army, Navy and the Air Force. For the procurement of these drones the Indian Navy is the lead service. And once these are inducted in the services it will help the forces in ramping up their surveillance along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh as well as Line of Control as well as the Indian Ocean.
Following the Galwan Valley clashes, where the armies of India and China continue to be locked in a standoff, the Indian side not only stepped up its surveillance apparatus along the LAC by deploying the Indian Navy’s assets of P-8i and MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones were leased from General Atomics in 2020 for a year. However, the lease period has been extended as the services are very satisfied with the performance of the leased drones.
Also Read: More firepower for armed forces: After Russian Triumf, India to buy Predator-B drones from the US
Dr Vivek Lall, the Chief Executive for the General Atomics Global Corporation, has been leading the negotiations for these drones and has been quoted in the media stating: “We understand that the MQ-9B acquisition programme is at an advanced stage of discussion between the US and Indian governments.”
Also, according to reports he said that from the company perspective, “General Atomics is ready to support India and values our longtime relationship.”
Indian Navy’s Sea Guardians
The MQ-9B has two variants – SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian. The MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones which are on lease from the US based General Atomics have flown close to 3,000 hours patrolling the country’s maritime borders and were used by the Indian Army too to keep a watch on the belligerent China.
China & Drones
China too has been developing its own drones and exporting to countries in Africa and the Middle East. However, as Financial Express Online has reported earlier there is no other drone in the world except the MQ-9B which are best in terms of technology, endurance and payloads.
