MQ-9B HALE Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV)
India plans to procure General Atomics MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) from U.S.
The MQ-9B has two variants — the SkyGuardian and the SeaGuardian.
This sets the stage for the acquisition of 31 of these armed UAVs, 15 SeaGuardians for the Indian Navy and 16 SkyGuardians — eight each for the Indian Army and Air Force.
The MQ-9B is designed to fly over the horizon via satellite for up to 40 hours, depending on configuration, in all types of weather and safely integrate into civil airspace.
For instance, the SeaGuardian configuration can include
A 360-degree surface-search maritime radar.
Automatic identification system.
Sonobuoy monitoring system.
Sonobuoy dispensers for persistent anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions.
MQ-9B can provide roughly 80% of the capability of a large human-flown maritime patrol aircraft at about 20% of its cost per hour.
That makes it much more economical for navies to,
For example, send out SeaGuardians to clear big volumes of air or sea and then, if anything of interest is discovered, vector in a human-crewed aircraft to save it the time, cost, and wear that it otherwise might have expended.
It significantly reduces the wear and tear on manned aircraft.
Its fleet of 12 P-8I long range maritime patrol aircraft, as well as reduce crew fatigue in keeping an eye over the wide expanse of the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.
For the Army and Air Force, the MQ-9Bs can provide round-the-clock surveillance looking far beyond the borders
For instance on the movement of Chinese military buildup and troop movement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and deep inside.
It also seamlessly integrates with other U.S.-origin platforms that India operates, the P-8Is, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, MH-60R multi-role helicopters among others expanding MQ-9B’s multi-domain mission set.
What UAVs are already in service?
The Indian Navy has leased two MQ-9As from General Atomics with the maiden flight taking place on November 21, 2020.
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