India, US ink Rs 32,000 cr deal for advanced drone procurement

NEW DELHI: India and the United States signed a significant deal on Tuesday worth Rs 32,000 crore for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B Sky/Sea Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remote Pilot Aircraft Systems (RPAS).
This agreement, finalized under a government-to-government framework, also includes the establishment of a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India, aiming to bolster the country’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
In a post on X, the Ministry of Defence wrote: “Ministry of Defence today inked a contract with the US Government for Tri-Service procurement of 31 MQ-9B Sky/Sea Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remote Pilot Aircraft System (RPAS). Another contract has been signed with General Atomics Global India Pvt Ltd for Performance Based Logistics for these RPAS through Depot Level Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul in India. The contracts were inked in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Giridhararamane in New Delhi.”
As part of the arrangement for the tri-services, while the Indian Navy will receive 15 Sea Guardian drones, the Indian Army and Air Force will each acquire eight Sky Guardian drones. Notably, these advanced drones are equipped to carry precision weaponry, such as Hellfire missiles and guided bombs besides being operational for over 35 hours.
The deal which comes following discussion among the two countries was cleared by India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) last week.
As per the reports, the MQ-9B drones, a variant of the MQ-9 Reaper, have demonstrated their effectiveness in precision operations, capable of conducting long-range missions and carry advanced navigation systems, sensor suites, and precision-guided munitions, the MQ-9B drones are bound to increase the nation’s capacity for surveillance and targeted strikes against high-value targets.
Agencies