NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at boosting the country’s maritime surveillance, the defence ministry on Monday signed a contract valued at Rs 1,943 crore with US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for leasing two MQ-9B Sea Guardian high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) for Indian Navy for a period of 30 months.The MQ-9B Sea Guardian, equipped with advanced systems, state-of-the-art sensors and sophisticated payloads, will significantly enhance the Indian Navy’s maritime domain awareness capabilities. The systems will provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage over vast areas of the maritime domain, strengthening India’s ability to monitor and respond to developments across the Indian Ocean Region, the ministry said in a release.The 30-month lease is a stop-gap arrangement as it will cover operational needs of the Indian military till it gets delivery of 31 drones from General Atomics expected under a mega deal that was signed in 2024.On Oct 15, 2024, India and the US had concluded a mega $3.5 billion deal for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B drones through an inter-governmental agreement via the foreign military sales programme of the US. Under the big-ticket deal, India is set to acquire a joint fleet split across all three services: 15 MQ-9B SeaGuardian variants for the Indian Navy, and eight MQ-9B SkyGuardian variants each for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. The package included advanced munitions (such as Hellfire missiles and laser-guided small diameter bombs), state-of-the-art surveillance sensors, and a commitment by General Atomics to establish a comprehensive maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility locally in India.The MQ-9B Sea Guardian is the world’s only certifiable high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft system capable of providing 30+ hours of continuous, multi-domain surveillance while operating safely inside unsegregated civil and military airspace.
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