The two unarmed Sea Guardians, variants of the iconic armed Predator drones, have already launched long-range ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) missions in the Indian Ocean region (IOR) from INS Rajali naval air station in Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, Defense Ministry sources said Wednesday.
“The drones can also be deployed along the Royal Line of Control with China if necessary. The P-8I naval maritime patrol aircraft, for example, is already being used extensively along the land border to monitor the People’s Liberation Army, ”said a source.
Image courtesy of General Atomics
The lease of the two drones from US firm General Atomics is seen as a prelude to India’s plan to purchase 18-30 Sea Guardian or MQ-9 Reaper drones armed as ‘hunter-killers’, with the possibility of obtaining six of them fast track as first reported by TOI.
The two Sea Guardians were hired on a one-year lease from the US firm General Atomics, which can be extended for another year. The lease is another strong indicator of the continued strategic partnership between India and the United States despite the impending switch from the Trump administration to that of Biden.
Currently, the United States is cooperating closely with India on intelligence sharing and other domains in light of the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, just as it did during the Doklam clash in June-August 2017.
“The two drones, installed under the Navy’s emergency procurement powers granted by the Ministry of Defense, began their ISR missions on November 21. They are doing very well, ”said the source.
Although there is an American crew for maintenance, technical and training purposes, indian navy you have full control of operations and the huge amount of data that is generated in ISR missions, as per the lease.
“The intelligence data from the two drones is being fed into the Navy’s NCO (network-centric operations) network. General Atomics must guarantee a minimum number of drone flight hours each month. The Navy does not have to install infrastructure or make provisions for spare parts, ”said the source.
With a maximum range of 5,500 nautical miles and a range of 35 hours, the Navy can deploy Sea Guardians to monitor all “choke points” from the persian gulf to the Strait of Malacca on the IOR.
The new Defense Acquisition Procedure, in force since October 1, as well as the old Defense Acquisition Manual, allow faster leasing of military equipment and platforms for urgent operational needs. Reduces delays and initial capital cost for inductions.
The IAF is also finalizing a plan to “lease without a crew” or acquire six “used” airborne refueling aircraft to expand the range of its fighter jets. Although the IAF generally needs 18 of these “force multipliers”, it currently manages with only six IL-78 aircraft installed in 2003-2004.
India, by the way, has signed more than $ 21 billion defense deals with the US since 2007 alone, with the last two contracts worth $ 3 billion for 24 naval MH-60 ‘Romeo helicopters. ‘and six Apache attack helicopters sealed during US President Donald Trump’s visit to India in February.
Furthermore, the combination of two of the four fundamental pacts signed with the US, the Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018 and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) last month, has paved the way. for India to acquire armed drones like Reapers or Predators for long-range precision strikes against hostile targets on land and sea.
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