India signs 31 MQ-9B Predator drones deal with US

While the Indian Navy will get 15 Sea Guardian drones, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army will get eight Sky Guardian drones each.

India and the US signed a $3.3-billion (Rs 28,000 crore) contract for 31 weaponised MQ-9B Predator drones on October 15.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on October 9 approved the procurement of 31 Predator long-endurance drones from the US and indigenous construction of two nuclear-powered conventional submarines to enhance India's military prowess.

According to a report by the Times of India, quoting a defence official,  deliveries of the drones with Hellfire missiles, GBU-39B precision-guided glide bombs, navigation systems, sensor suites and mobile ground control systems, will begin in four years and be completed in six years.

India is acquiring the drones primarily to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the contested frontier with China. In June last year, the defence ministry approved the procurement of the MQ-9B Predator armed drones from the US under a government-to-government framework.

While the Indian Navy will get 15 Sea Guardian drones, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army will get eight Sky Guardian drones each.

The MQ-9B Reaper or Predator-B drones can fly for around 40 hours at altitudes over 40,000 feet for surveillance. Armed with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and smart bombs, these weapons are considered far superior to Chinese armed drones.

A Hellfire missile from a drone was used to shoot dead Al Qaeda chief Zayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul two years ago.

The Sea Guardian drones are being procured as they can carry out a variety of roles, including maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and over-the-horizon targeting.

The high-altitude long-endurance drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kg of bombs.