The induction of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9B Sky/Sea Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System's (RPAS) into the Indian armed forces will bring in a quantum leap in their Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability. The triservice acquisition will provide a muchneeded boost to the persistent surveillance capability of the Indian armed forces with the ability to strike time-sensitive targets. The highly sophisticated RPAS' are being acquired from the USA under the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route. The MQ-9B is GAASI's most advanced RPA that is currently available for export.
The procurement of 31 HALE RPAS, which comprises of 16 MQ-9B Sky Guardians for the army and air force, and 15 MQ-9B Sea Guardians for the navy is also notable for its size, with a significant quantity of drones being acquired as part of the initial order worth approximately 32,000 crore. By the standards of Indian defence procurement, the MQ-9B has proceeded swiftly, alluding to the importance of the purchase for the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The Council Defence Acquisition (DAC), which is headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for the procurement in June 2023. The AoN noted the estimated cost of the deal at 3.07 billion US dollars provided by the US Government. There is already sufficient experience in operating the MQ-9B, which has been operated under lease from GA-ASI by the Indian Navy for quite some time now. The navy has been operating two GA-ASI MQ-9s under lease for over nearly four years, which have improved India's capability to cater for current and future threats by undertaking unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation.
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