New Delhi, India will buy 31 Predator drones from America. Actually, India and America signed a deal worth Rs 32 thousand crore to buy 31 Predator drones. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had last week approved deals to purchase 31 Predator drones from the US. MRO will be set up in the country for maintenance, repair and overhaul of the drones to be purchased. The Indian Navy will get 15 out of 31 drones, while the Army and Air Force will get eight drones each, which are expected to prove to be a game changer in peacetime surveillance.
In fact, the Army, Navy and Air Force had expressed the need for MQ-9B armed drones to strengthen their presence and boost surveillance in sensitive areas of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The Navy wants to increase its presence especially in the Indian Ocean region. After the arrival of this drone, the siege on the Indian Ocean will be further strengthened. In this sequence, the deal for Predator drone was approved by the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) on June 15, 2023. After this, last week on October 10, CCS also approved.
These state-of-the-art drones were to be purchased only for the Indian Navy, but later it was decided to purchase 31 drones for the three armies. The Indian Navy is the lead agency for the deal, in which 15 drones will be delivered to the maritime force for surveillance operations in its area of responsibility. Apart from this, Army and Air Force will get 8-8 drones. In the first phase of the deal, six drones will be purchased by making immediate lump sum cash payment. Considering the current needs, at present two drones each will be given to the three armies. The remaining 24 drones will be acquired in the next three years. The deal was signed in the presence of senior officials from both sides for the drones to be purchased for the three armies.
Features of MQ-9 Reaper Drone: MQ-9 Reaper drone has been made by San Diego-based General Atomics, which can fly continuously for 48 hours. It can carry a payload of approximately 1,700 kilograms (3,700 lb) to a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles. It comes with nine hard-points, capable of carrying sensors and laser-guided bombs in addition to air-to-ground missiles, with a maximum payload of two tonnes. With armed drones, the Indian Army can carry out missions similar to those carried out by NATO forces in Afghanistan.
It can be used for remote control operations on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, surgical strikes and targeting targets on the Himalayan borders. Last year, the Indian Navy had leased two hunters amid border tensions with China in eastern Ladakh. With this, the Indian Navy is keeping an eye on the Chinese warships roaming in the Southern Indian Ocean. Currently Indian security agencies use Israeli UAVs, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)’s Netra and Rustom drones.