MoD Signs Rs 1,943 Crore Contract with General Atomics to Lease Two MQ-9B Sea Guardian Drones for Indian Navy.
HALE Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems to Boost Maritime Domain Awareness and Persistent Surveillance in Indian Ocean Region.
New Delhi:
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday signed a contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) for the leasing of two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for the Indian Navy for a period of 30 months.
The contract, valued at approximately Rs 1,943 crore, was signed in the presence of Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence, A. Anbarasu, at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi.
The induction of the two MQ-9B Sea Guardian systems is aimed at significantly enhancing the Indian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) capabilities. The advanced remotely piloted aircraft are designed to provide persistent surveillance over large maritime areas, enabling the Navy to maintain a comprehensive picture of activities across the seas.
Advanced surveillance capabilities
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian HALE RPAS are equipped with advanced systems, sophisticated sensors and state-of-the-art payloads. Their long-endurance capability allows them to undertake extended intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions over vast areas.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the leased systems will provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance coverage across the maritime domain. This capability is expected to strengthen the Indian Navy’s ability to monitor developments at sea and respond effectively to emerging situations.
Strengthening maritime security
The lease of the Sea Guardian systems assumes significance in view of the growing importance of maritime surveillance and security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The ability to continuously monitor extensive maritime areas will support the Navy in tracking developments and maintaining greater situational awareness.
The systems will augment the Indian Navy’s existing surveillance capabilities and provide enhanced coverage of the maritime domain. Their deployment is expected to contribute to India’s efforts to safeguard its maritime interests and strengthen its preparedness to respond to developments across the Indian Ocean Region.
The agreement with GA-ASI represents another step towards strengthening the Indian Navy’s technological capabilities through the use of advanced unmanned aerial systems for long-duration maritime surveillance.
