Killer drones on wish list

INDIA is in an “advanced stage” of negotiations with the US to procure 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones for $3 billion (£2.5bn) to crank up its surveillance along the border with China as well as in the Indian Ocean, people familiar with the developments said last Sunday (20).

The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper” which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile that eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul last month.

Sources said talks between New Delhi and Washington are on to acquire the General Atomics-built drones and this came up for discussion during a foreign and defence ministerial dialogue between India and the US in Washington in April.

The chief executive of General Atomics Global Corporation, Dr Vivek Lall, said talks between the two governments are at an advanced stage.

“We understand the MQ-9B acquisition programme is at an advanced stage of discussion between the US and Indian governments,” he said.

“Any questions on those discussions should be addressed specifically to the respective governments. From a company perspective, General Atomics is ready to support India and values our longtime relationship,” Lall added.

The hunter-killer drones are being sought as they can carry out a variety of roles, including maritime surveillance, antisubmarine warfare and overthe-horizon targeting.

The high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) drones are capable of remaining airborne for 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450kg of bombs.

The procurement proposal has been moved by the Indian Navy and all three services are likely to get 10 drones each.

The MQ-9B has two variants - SkyGuardian and its sibling SeaGuardian.

Sources said the talks are focused on sorting out issues relating to cost, weapons package and technology sharing.

In 2020, the Indian Navy took out a lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. That lease has subsequently been extended.

The Indian Navy has been bolstering its surveillance to monitor Chinese activities, including forays by PLA warships in the Indian Ocean Region.

Indian armed forces have taken interest in armed drones since the eastern Ladakh border standoff with China in 2020.