ARMAMENTS

India plans to ink a major defence deal with the US to procure 30 armed unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) worth $3 billion (approximately ₹22,000 crore) to enhance its military capabilities. Specifically, India will be acquiring 30 “MQ-9 Reaper”.

Yet, India seeks clarity from the US on price as well as technology transfer before finalizing the deal for the 30 UCAVs. New Delhi seeks to know more about the price fixation, maintenance and transfer of technology in the proposed $3 billion (around Rs 22,000 crore) deal to acquire these systems.

According to reports, the procurement project shall proceed for “acceptance of necessity (AoN)” by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, during the Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) once it gets the information from the US government. Once the project gets the AoN from the DAC, India will issue an actionable letter of request (LoR) to the US government. The final contract would be signed after the US responds with a letter of offer and acceptance and notifies US Congress. It will be a government-to-government deal through the US foreign military sales (FMS).

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The procurement is underway as India is facing a war-like situation on two fronts: Pakistan and China. India is becoming a strategic defence partner for the US, especially countering Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean.

The Indian government wishes to acquire these 30 UCAVs, also known as SeaGuardian or SkyGuardian remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) to strengthen its long-range unmanned lethal capabilities. The army, navy and Indian Air Force (IAF) are to get 10 UCAVs each, which are designed for long-range precision strikes, with different payloads to hunt and destroy targets over land and sea.

MQ-9B Predator is manufactured by San Diego-based General Atomics. It has an endurance of 48 hours and a range of over 6,000 nautical miles. In addition, it carries a maximum payload of 2 tonnes, while it comes with nine hard-points, capable of carrying sensors and laser-guided bombs besides air-to-ground missiles.

Last year, the Indian Navy took on lease two Sea Guardian systems to enhance surveillance over the Indian Ocean Region. The two non-weaponized “MQ-9B Sea Guardian” systems were leased for one year with the option of extending the period by another year.

Source: The India Times

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