The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is preparing to accumulate 30 General Atomics MQ-9B Guardian drones from the us , during a deal valued at approximately $3 billion (Rs 22,000 crore). A recent series of meetings within the MoD have cleared the way for the procurement of an initial lot of six Reaper Medium Altitude Long Endurance drones. These six drones—two each for the military , navy and air force—are to be procured immediately from the US, indicating the urgency of the acquisition.
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| MQ-9B Guardian Drone |
Sources tell INDIA TODAY that an ‘acceptance of necessity’ (AON) for 30 drones are going to be put before an upcoming meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh. The contract is being choppy into two parts—six MQ-9s worth approximately $600 million (Rs 4,400 crore) are to be purchased outright and delivered within the next few months.
The remaining 24—eight drones for every service—will be acquired over subsequent three years under an ‘option clause’ within the contract. The deal has been within the pipeline for the past three years, first because the sale of twenty-two Sea Guardians (an unarmed maritime variant of the MQ-9) for the Indian Navy in 2017. This was then converted into a tri-services acquisition by the govt in 2018 when the armed version of the MQ-9 was cleared purchasable to India by the US.
An AON is formally the primary step in hardware procurement by the MoD. it always takes several years for AON cases to show into contracts. The MQ-9acquisition, it's understood, are going to be concluded during a far shorter timeframe. it's being processed as a fast-track, government-to-government affect the us and can be swiftly concluded by the MoD. The six drones are to be delivered immediately by the US, and will possibly be units already produced for the US soldiers or its allies. it's not clear if the initial batch of drones are going to be armed with Hellfire missiles and other air-to-ground munitions.
MoD meetings to make a decision the deal are being steered by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who, as permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, decides inter-service defence acquisitions. The MoD might even convene a special meeting of the DAC to sanction this deal. this is often the last major contract signed between the governments of Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election this November.
The Indian Navy has been made the lead service for this significant acquisition. One military officer calls the deal a ‘game changer’ due to the platform’s ability to mount continuous and protracted surveillance. The MQ-9 can carry electro-optical / infra-red multi-mode radar and multi-mode maritime surveillance radar, laser designators, electronic support measures and various weapons packages. It can form a deadly combination with two other US-supplied platforms—the P8-I Poseidon long range maritime patrol aircraft and therefore the (under delivery) MH-60R multi-role helicopters— to trace and hunt surface ships and submarines within the Indian Ocean region.
“The MQ-9 is satellite-steered, can float above the target at 45,000 feet and stay task for 35 hours, using radar and electronic support measures to locate the enemy—it might be anywhere, the Gulf of Aden or the Malacca Straits or in Eastern Ladakh,” a senior defence official says.
The us has emerged as India’s largest supplier of defence hardware after Russia, selling India a complete of $18 billion worth of military hardware since 2008. In February this year, the 2 countries concluded a $2.1 billion deal for India to shop for 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for the Indian Navy.
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