India is all set to buy Hunter Killer predator armed 30MQ-9B Drones . Modi Government is at an advance stage of negotiations with the U.S for procurement .
a $3 Billion deal is being finalized to crank up its surveillance apparatus along the line of atual control with China as well as in the Indian ocean region . Rejecting report of deal being off the the table the defence establishment said that the talk between New Dehli and Washington are underway for procurement .
MQ-8B Drones deal in advance Stage .
The acquisition programme is at an advanced stage of discussions between the two governments. We understand that the MQ-9B acquisition programme is being finalised.
General atomics is ready to support India and values our longtime relationship .
According to PTI report ,The hunter -killer drones are being procured for three services as they can carry out a variety of roles .
MQ-9B Drone Explained .
The drone is the first Hunter-Killer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for long-endurance and high-altitude surveillance . A variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper” was used to launch hellfire missile that eliminated Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul last month . The high altitude long-endurance (Hale) drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours .
It can carry four hellfire missiles and around 450KGs of bombs . It has signals and communications intelligence systems integrated onboard but can take any number of other custom sensors as necessary .The MQ-9B has two variant skyguardian and its sibling seaguardian.
Currently certain issues relating to cost & technology sharing are being sorted out . The proposal was moved by the Navy &all three services are likely to get 10 drones each .
In 2020 Indian Navy had taken two MQ-9B sea guardian drones on lease for one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean which has been extended subsequently .
India is planning to bloster its surveillance further both at LAC & in the sea to monitor growing Chinese warships activities in the Indian ocean region.
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