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As both China and Pakistan are strengthening their armed drone fleets, India is fast-tracking negotiations to buy 31 armed MQ-9B 'Hunter-Killer' remote-piloted aircraft from the US. An ambitious target has been set to sign the deal by November-December this year.
Pakistan seeks 16 more armed CH-4 drones from China
According to media reports, techno-commercial discussions for an inter-governmental contract for 31 armed high-altitude and long-endurance drones are now in an advanced stage. It has set aside 15 for the Navy, 8 each for the Army and the Air Force and the Marine Guard. According to reports, China has increased the supply of armed Hong-4 and Wing Loong-II drones to Pakistan. According to sources, Pakistan has sought 16 more armed CH-4 drones from China. It already has 7 CH-4 drones in the Army and 3 in the Navy.
What is special in MQ-9B Reaper?
The MQ-9B Reaper or Predator-B drone is designed to fly for about 40 hours at an altitude of more than 40,000 feet for surveillance. It is equipped with air-to-ground Hellfire missiles and smart bombs for precision strikes. These are considered much better than Chinese armed drones.
It will be deployed on the Indian Ocean and China border
The operational utility of the MQ-9B drone is enhanced by the extensive ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) mission carried out by two unarmed Sea Guardian drones. The Guardian drones are leased from US firm General Atomics. The MQ-9B drones will be deployed in the vast Indian Ocean (IOR) along the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control with China.
America fixed this much price for this deal
The US has set a price of $3.9 billion (over Rs 33,500 crore) for the deal. It includes 31 armed MQ-9B drones and related equipment, including 170 Hellfire missiles, 310 GBU-39B precision-guided glide bombs, navigation systems, sensor suites and mobile ground control systems.
We are trying our best to complete this deal this year
The Indian negotiating team is trying to cut down the cost. A source said, the price and terms offered by the US government and General Atomics to other countries are being considered. All efforts are being made to finalise the deal this calendar year after getting the final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs.
MQ-9B drone will be assembled in India
Under the agreement, the drones will be assembled in India while General Atomics will also buy some equipment from Indian companies and set up a global MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) facility here. The armed forces expect the first 10 MQ-9B drones to be inducted within a few years of signing the contract. However, this will depend on General Atomics' production capacity. The rest will come in batches every six months.
It will be deployed on land borders including the Indian Ocean
Under the plan, fighter type drones will be deployed at ISR command and control centres at Arakkonam, Porbandar for the Indian Ocean region and Sarsawa and Gorakhpur for the land borders. “Such drones with our long-range hunting capabilities are needed at a time when Chinese naval incursions in the IOR are set to increase,” an official said.