Why in the News?

India and the US concluded a $3.5 bn deal for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS).

About MQ-9B HALE UAV

• The MQ-9B drone is a version of the MQ-9 “Reaper” and has two models: Sky Guardian and Sea Guardian.
• It is built by the General Atomics.
• This drone can fly over 40,000 feet high, making it useful for watching the Himalayan border areas.
• It can stay in the air for up to 40 hours, perfect for long surveillance missions.
• The MQ-9B has advanced features like automatic take-off and landing, a system to avoid other objects, secure GPS, and encrypted communications.
• Deployment:
  • The MQ-9B drones are planned to be deployed at four places, including INS Rajaji near Chennai and Porbandar in Gujarat, by the Indian Navy.
  • The other two services will keep them jointly at two bases in Sarsawa and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh at Air Force bases due to long runway requirements.

Details of the Procurement:

• India is planning for 15 Sea Guardians for the Indian Navy and 16 Sky Guardians (eight each for the Indian Army and Air Force).
• The Indian Navy has leased two MQ-9As with the maiden flight taking place on November 21, 2020.
• As part of the deal, General Atomics will establish a Global Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India, contributing to offset obligations.

Significance of the deal

• The SeaGuardian model can help the Navy patrol large areas more economically than manned aircraft.
• For the Army and Air Force, these drones will help monitor movements along the borders, especially with China.
• It can offer 80% of a manned aircraft’s capabilities at 20% of the cost per hour.

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