US has approved the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India, with an estimated cost of US$3.99 billion.
During the historic state visit of PM Narendra Modi in June 2023, the proposed mega drone deal was announced.
Under the deal, India will get 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs.
Of this, the Navy will get 15 SeaGuardian drones, while the Army and Indian Air Force will get eight each of the land version – SkyGuardians.
In addition, this deal includes 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles, 310 GBU-39B/B laser small-diameter bombs, and 161 embedded global positioning and inertial navigation systems.
The MQ-9B Predator drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper” developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI).
Currently, the Indian Navy is operating two MQ-9 drones leased from the US in November 2020.
The MQ-9B drone is classified as a high-altitude, long-endurance UAV, designed for extended flight durations at altitudes over 40,000 feet.
They provide a reliable platform for long-term monitoring with a maximum endurance of 40 hours.
