India clears deal to purchase armed Predator drones from the US

Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  An Indo-US deal to amass Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from the United States was accepted by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday.

Defence sources confirmed to TNIE that the DAC beneath the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accepted the proposal. The DAC is the best decision-making physique within the Ministry of Defence.

The deal, introduced earlier than Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled go to to the US, is to obtain round 30 armable MQ-9B drones from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI). Of this, 12 is for the Indian Navy and the remainder to be equally given to the Army and Air Force. The deal needs to be additional accepted by the US Congress. This might be the second essential defence deal after the much-discussed co-production of the GE-F 414 turboprop engines for the upgraded Tejas Mark 2.

There is a chance of inking a pact between the US firm General Electric and the Indian Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for joint manufacturing of the Tejas Mark 2 engine. The Prime Minister will likely be on an official state go to within the US from June 21 to 25, the place President Joe Biden will host him on the White House. It goes to be Modi’s first state go to to the US throughout his nine-year prime ministership.

These drones have high-altitude long-endurance and could be armed with air-to-ground missiles and good bombs with lengthy vary precision-strike functionality. It can function for greater than 30 hours as much as the vary of 5,500 nautical miles in all climate circumstances. The total deal is anticipated to price round $3 billion. 
The drones, as soon as acquired, will assist strengthen the surveillance capabilities alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and additional deep into the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Navy has been working two MQ-9A unarmed predator drones, which have been employed on lease from General Atomics in September 2020. Navy has been utilizing them to maintain monitor of actions within the Indian Ocean area. These drones have been additionally employed alongside the Line of Actual Control to keep watch over the on-ground actions by China’s People’s Liberation Army on its facet on the northern borders.

A supply defined that these UAVs have the capabilities to detect, find and determine maritime vessels and as soon as armed, may perform assaults. Further, with such high-endurance, these UAVs can perform operations as much as the choke factors on the expanse ends of the Indian Ocean Region.

The high-altitude long-endurance UAVs are additionally able to firing Hellfire missiles and round 450 kilograms of explosive supplies.The hunter-killer Sea Guardian drones are being procured for the three providers as they’ll perform quite a lot of roles together with maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and over-the-horizon focusing on, amongst others.

The MQ-9B has two variants — SkyGuardian and its sibling SeaGuardian. In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian  drones from General Atomics for a interval of one yr for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lease interval has been prolonged subsequently. The Indian Navy has been bolstering its surveillance mechanism to observe rising Chinese actions together with frequent forays by the People’s Liberation Army warships within the Indian Ocean Region.

Long endurance, deadly UAVs
These UAVs can detect and determine maritime vessels. Once armed, they’ll additionally perform assaults and conduct operations as much as the choke factors on the expanse ends of the Indian Ocean Region.

MQ-9B drones

Endurance 

It can function for greater than 30 hours for as much as the vary of 5,500 nautical miles in all-weather circumstances

Manufacture
US’s General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI)

Overall price $3 billion

GA-ASI produces unmanned plane and supplies radar, indicators intelligence and automatic airborne programs

Final go-ahead
The deal needs to be accepted by the US Congress

Navy is reportedly glad with MQ-9B surveillance model, the Sea Guardian. Two of them have been leased in 2020 for maritime area surveillance

Partners
US’s General Electric (GE) and the Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Limited might ink pact for joint manufacturing of the engine

Another deal 
This might be the second essential defence deal after the much-discussed co-production of the GE-F 414 turboprop engines for the upgraded Tejas-Mk2

NEW DELHI:  An Indo-US deal to amass Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from the United States was accepted by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday.

Defence sources confirmed to TNIE that the DAC beneath the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accepted the proposal. The DAC is the best decision-making physique within the Ministry of Defence.

The deal, introduced earlier than Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled go to to the US, is to obtain round 30 armable MQ-9B drones from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI). Of this, 12 is for the Indian Navy and the remainder to be equally given to the Army and Air Force. The deal needs to be additional accepted by the US Congress. This might be the second essential defence deal after the much-discussed co-production of the GE-F 414 turboprop engines for the upgraded Tejas Mark 2.googletag.cmd.push(operate() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

There is a chance of inking a pact between the US firm General Electric and the Indian Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for joint manufacturing of the Tejas Mark 2 engine. The Prime Minister will likely be on an official state go to within the US from June 21 to 25, the place President Joe Biden will host him on the White House. It goes to be Modi’s first state go to to the US throughout his nine-year prime ministership.

These drones have high-altitude long-endurance and could be armed with air-to-ground missiles and good bombs with lengthy vary precision-strike functionality. It can function for greater than 30 hours as much as the vary of 5,500 nautical miles in all climate circumstances. The total deal is anticipated to price round $3 billion. 
The drones, as soon as acquired, will assist strengthen the surveillance capabilities alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and additional deep into the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Navy has been working two MQ-9A unarmed predator drones, which have been employed on lease from General Atomics in September 2020. Navy has been utilizing them to maintain monitor of actions within the Indian Ocean area. These drones have been additionally employed alongside the Line of Actual Control to keep watch over the on-ground actions by China’s People’s Liberation Army on its facet on the northern borders.

A supply defined that these UAVs have the capabilities to detect, find and determine maritime vessels and as soon as armed, may perform assaults. Further, with such high-endurance, these UAVs can perform operations as much as the choke factors on the expanse ends of the Indian Ocean Region.

The high-altitude long-endurance UAVs are additionally able to firing Hellfire missiles and round 450 kilograms of explosive supplies.The hunter-killer Sea Guardian drones are being procured for the three providers as they’ll perform quite a lot of roles together with maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and over-the-horizon focusing on, amongst others.

The MQ-9B has two variants — SkyGuardian and its sibling SeaGuardian. In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian  drones from General Atomics for a interval of one yr for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lease interval has been prolonged subsequently. The Indian Navy has been bolstering its surveillance mechanism to observe rising Chinese actions together with frequent forays by the People’s Liberation Army warships within the Indian Ocean Region.

Long endurance, deadly UAVs
These UAVs can detect and determine maritime vessels. Once armed, they’ll additionally perform assaults and conduct operations as much as the choke factors on the expanse ends of the Indian Ocean Region.

MQ-9B drones

Endurance 

It can function for greater than 30 hours for as much as the vary of 5,500 nautical miles in all-weather circumstances

Manufacture
US’s General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI)

Overall price $3 billion

GA-ASI produces unmanned plane and supplies radar, indicators intelligence and automatic airborne programs

Final go-ahead
The deal needs to be accepted by the US Congress

Navy is reportedly glad with MQ-9B surveillance model, the Sea Guardian. Two of them have been leased in 2020 for maritime area surveillance

Partners
US’s General Electric (GE) and the Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Limited might ink pact for joint manufacturing of the engine

Another deal 
This might be the second essential defence deal after the much-discussed co-production of the GE-F 414 turboprop engines for the upgraded Tejas-Mk2