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The MQ-9Bs, which will be assembled in India, will enhance the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of India’s armed forces across domains. As part of this plan, General Atomics will also establish a Comprehensive Global Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India in support of India’s long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities.

According to a senior MoD official, India is negotiating to increase the indigenous content under the deal. “The current indigenous content proposed is 8-9% while India is hoping it can be increased up to 15-20%. Discussions are underway. General Atomics is positive to it and the US government has to accept it,” the official said. General Atomics is in talks with several Indian companies for domestic manufacture of components as part of the deal, officials said. This could expand further to potentially include the manufacture of some electronics, sensor and avionics if the indigenous content goes up.

The MQ-9B has two variants — the SkyGuardian and the SeaGuardian, its maritime variant. 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, according to its manufacturer. For instance, the SeaGuardian configuration can include a 360-degree surface-search maritime radar, automatic identification system, sonobuoy monitoring system, and sonobuoy dispensers for persistent anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions.

According to General Atomics, the 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, the company stated. This is the primary reason the Indian Navy is keen on these UAVs as 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 build-up and troop movement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and deep inside. It also seamlessly integrates with other US-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.

Deal Likely by March 2024

On June 15, the Defence Acquisition Council headed by Singh accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) or initial approval for the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B drones from the US under the foreign military sale (FMS) route.

India is looking at sealing a landmark deal to procure 31 MQ-9B Predator armed drones from the US under a government-to-government framework by March, according to a news agency report. The report said that government officials from the two countries will hold the final series of negotiations on the procurement after Washington responds to India’s Letter of Request (LoR) for the acquisition of drones from US defence major General Atomics (GA).

The procurement would cost around $3 billion as per estimates, though the price of the drones will be finalised during the negotiation process.

About the Drones

In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for a period of one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lease period has been extended subsequently.

The Sea Guardian drones can carry out a variety of roles, including maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and over-the-horizon targeting and are being procured for the three services. While the Navy will get 15 Sea Guardian drones, the Indian Air Force and the Army will each get eight Sky Guardian drones.

Known for its high-altitude long-endurance, MQ-9B drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs.

The Indian Navy plans to equip the Sea Guardians with sonobuoys, enhancing their ability to detect and track Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The drone can carry four SDS pods on its four wing pylons, allowing it to carry 40 ‘A’ size or 80 ‘G’ size sonobuoys, according to General Atomics. A sonobuoy is a small device used for underwater acoustic surveillance. It contains hydrophones that detect underwater sounds, especially those made by submarines. These devices are deployed from aircraft or ships and transmit real-time acoustic data, helping pin-point potential submarine threats. These systems, along with the P-8I long-range anti-submarine warfare aircraft, will enable the Navy to hunt Chinese and Pakistani submarines lurking deep in the IOR.

The Sea Guardian, with its 1,200 nautical mile range and significant on-station time, low maintenance, and low operating cost, can loiter over a designated area for a long time, deploying sonobuoys for locating submarines. After the detection of a submarine, the P-8I, with its high speed, can reach the designated area in a short period and drop torpedoes.

These drones also have the ability to patrol the entire IOR in one go, owing to their 30-hour endurance and 4,000 to 8,000-kilometre range.

The MQ-9 Predator drones saw action in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria, where they were used for reconnaissance operations, close air support and for targeted killings. These drones were used for taking down high profile terrorists like Mullah Omar – the founder of the Taliban, and, Ayman Al-Zawahiri– the late emir of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

The MQ-9B Predator is an upgraded and much more advanced version of the MQ-9 Predator. It is fitted with sophisticated surveillance facilities, bombs and armed with American made surface to ground – AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

In the last few years, the India-US defence cooperation has been on an upswing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in their talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi, vowed to “deepen and diversify” the bilateral major defence partnership while welcoming forward movement in India’s procurement of 31 drones and joint development of jet engines. The US designated India a “Major Defence Partner” in June 2016, paving the way for sharing of critical military equipment and technology.

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Instead of each of the three Services wing acquiring 10 each of Predator drones, the new projection is six platforms each of Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force to cater to their specific requirements. The deal after approval from the government will be done with the US on a government-to-government basis.

While the government is in constant touch with Predator manufacturer General Atomics, the need for a top of line proven armed drone was felt as the PLA is constantly upgrading and cementing military-infra along the 3488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) and has a developed armed drone capability. To make matters worse, China is supplying the same armed drone Wing Loong II to its client state Pakistan.

The Indian Navy already has two unarmed reconnaissance versions of General Atomics drone from 2020, the lease of which is expected to expire in 2024. Based at Rajali Naval base in Tamil Nadu, the two Sea Guardian drones have generated exceptional data and maritime domain awareness from Aden off Africa to the Lombok straits in Indonesia.

The need for a hunter-killer drone like Predator has been felt as India only has medium altitude long endurance drones without armed capability. The Predator can carry four Hell-Fire air-to ground missiles and two precision guided ammunition to take out high value targets. Apart from the armed capability, the drone has top of the line radar surveillance capability and can give real time information to commanders on ground about Chinese or Pakistan unilateral moves on the border. The same drone can be used to force multiple Indian Navy capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to counter the rising Chinese Navy challenge with President Xi Jinping in the middle-kingdom imperial mode against the QUAD.

The renaming of 32 places in Arunachal Pradesh post 2017 Doklam friction, the May 2020 transgressions in East Ladakh and the naming of sub-surface features in the Indian Ocean all add up to the Chinese belligerence akin to the British imperial Navy in the 19th century. The big imperial picture emerging from China is that Modi’s India needs to be prepared for a military challenge at any point, particularly in the eastern sector. It is in this context, that stand-off weapons like Predator drones and conventional missile deterrence will work for India.

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Under the terms of the MOU, Bharat Forge and General Atomics’ Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS) will collaborate for Lithium-Ion Battery System for naval platforms/submarines to address the requirements of Indian Navy. The parties have also agreed to partner with each other in the area of permanent magnet motors.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Baba Kalyani, Chairman Kalyani Group said, “We have been relentlessly working towards bringing niche technologies in the country with the aim of making Indian self-reliant in defence verticals. GA is a market leader for in-service Li-Ion Battery solutions for naval platforms/submarines and and our partnership with General Atomics is a firm step in the direction to develop Make in India solutions for Indian Navy and setting up a strong defence technology and manufacturing vertical within India.”

“We look forward to working with Bharat Forge to meet the requirements of Indian Navy. Our Li-Ion battery system has been developed after 10 years of rigorous R&D. Instead of the usual ‘fault prevention’, our design philosophy is based on assuming a fault and requiring fault containment’, which has made our system extremely safe and reliable”, stated Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “We are committed to working with companies like Bharat Forge, whose reputation for excellence and dedication to quality is synergistic with ours, as we continue to deliver technology innovations and cutting-edge systems for undersea and surface platforms.”

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The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper” which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile that eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul in July.

Authoritative sources in the defence establishment said talks between New Delhi and Washington are underway for the government-to-government procurement of the General Atomics-built drones, and rejected reports that the deal is off the table.

Dr Vivek Lall, the Chief Executive for the General Atomics Global Corporation, told PTI that the acquisition programme is at an advanced stage of discussions between the two governments.

“We understand that the MQ-9B acquisition programme is at an advanced stage of discussion between the US and Indian governments,” he said.

“Any questions on those discussions should be addressed specifically to the respective governments. From a company perspective, General Atomics is ready to support India and values our longtime relationship,” Lall added.

The hunter-killer drones are being procured for the three services 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 (HALE) drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs.

The MQ-9B has two variants SkyGuardian and its sibling SeaGuardian.

The sources said the talks are focused on sorting out certain issues relating to cost, weapons package and technology sharing.

It is learnt that the procurement proposal figured in the fourth two-plus-two foreign and defence ministerial dialogue between India and the US in Washington in April.

In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lease period has been extended subsequently.

The Indian Navy has been bolstering its surveillance mechanism to monitor growing Chinese activities including frequent forays by PLA warships in the Indian Ocean Region.

When asked about the two drones, Lall said they have performed “very well” and flew close to 3,000 hours in support of the Indian Navy’s maritime and land border patrol objectives.

“General Atomics has supported India over the past three years by providing two MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft as part of a Company Owned/Company Operated (COCO) lease agreement,” he said.

“Over the past six months, close to 3,000 hours have been flown in support of the Indian Navy’s maritime and land border patrol objectives, covering over 14 million square miles of operating area,” he said.

“Our Indian customer has been impressed by the MQ-9’s over-the-horizon ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) support for surface units and Indian warships, as well as the exceptional endurance and operational availability of the platform,” the top executive added.

The MQ-9Bs are designed to not only meet the standards of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) but also to comply with civil airspace requirements in the US and around the world, according to General Atomics.

Indian armed forces have been focusing on procuring unmanned platforms, including armed drones, in the backdrop of the eastern Ladakh border standoff with China and for tracking movements of Chinese warships in the Indian Ocean region.

The procurement proposal has been moved by the Indian Navy and all three services are likely to get 10 drones each.

The drone is the first hunter-killer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for long-endurance and high-altitude surveillance.

The MQ-9B has signals intelligence and communications intelligence systems integrated onboard, but it can take any number of other custom sensors as necessary.

In 2019, the US approved the sale of armed drones to India and even offered integrated air and missile defence systems.

The Indian Navy has been strongly pushing for the procurement to boost its overall surveillance over the Indian Ocean, a region that has witnessed increasing forays by Chinese ships and submarines in the last few years.

In February 2020, India sealed a USD 2.6 billion deal with the US for the procurement of 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from American aerospace major Lockheed Martin for the Indian Navy. The delivery of the helicopters has already begun.

Following the eastern Ladakh standoff, India has significantly enhanced its day and night surveillance over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) using a fleet of remotely piloted aircraft.

The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years. In June 2016, the US designated India a ‘Major Defence Partner’, paving way for sharing of critical military equipment and technology.

The two countries have also inked key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

The two sides signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 which provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.

In October 2020, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defence ties.

The pact provides for sharing high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.

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The drones were leased at the peak of the tensions between India and China in eastern Ladakh and arrived at INS Rajali sometime in November 2020.

The lease of the two non-weaponised drones came in the midst of India’s plans to procure up to 30 weaponised versions of the Sea Guardian drones from the US to bolster the Navy’s overall surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean amid an increase in Chinese presence in the region.

In September 2020, the Narendra Modi government had unveiled a new defence acquisition procedure under which the three services were permitted to lease military equipment, hardware and platforms like helicopters, simulators and transport planes and UAVs, among others.

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The drones were leased at the peak of the tensions between India and China in eastern Ladakh and arrived at INS Rajali sometime in November 2020.

In a recent interview, Vice Admiral MS Pawar, who was serving as the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff when India leased the drone, said that the Navy was able to complete the leasing process in 37 days.

The lease of the two non-weaponised drones came in the midst of India’s plans to procure up to 30 weaponised versions of the Sea Guardian drones from the US to bolster the Navy’s overall surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean amid an increase in Chinese presence in the region.

“The maritime variant of MQ-9B, SeaGuardian, can be configured with cross-domain capabilities for a vast range of maritime surveillance operations, including Anti-Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare and Search and Rescue,” maker General Atomics says on its website.

In September 2020, the Narendra Modi government had unveiled a new defence acquisition procedure under which the three services were permitted to lease military equipment, hardware and platforms like helicopters, simulators and transport planes and UAVs, among others.

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Although the Narendra Modi government on February 9 banned the import of drones, acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles for defence and security purposes are exempt, but still require special and specific clearances. “As of now, the Predator deal is off,” said a top South Block official who asked not to be named.

Spearheaded by the Indian Navy, India was planning to acquire 30 Predator armed drones for use across services (10 each for the navy, air force and army) at the cost of at least $3 billion from US-based General Atomics. The Indian Navy already has taken two surveillance Predators on lease from the US company and uses them for conducting reconnaissance of India’s maritime and land borders with China and Pakistan.

The decision to put the acquisition on hold was taken as India already has some capability in armed drones; it is currently upgrading the Israeli Heron drones. The Predator platform with armed payload, as in missiles and laser-guided bombs, costs nearly $100 million apiece, but the platform has an endurance of nearly 27 hours.

The Indian Navy uses it for maritime domain awareness from Gulf of Aden to Sunda Straits in Indonesia.

While the Indian Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is expected to unveil its medium altitude long endurance (MALE) drone latest by March, the country’s national security planners are looking at futuristic high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) technology for surveillance and targeting capability.

India has already demonstrated its capacity and capability for the manufacture of swarm drones, as was showcased in the Beating Retreat ceremony this year.

Besides DRDO, private Indian companies are also involved in the development of drones that are cheaper to operate compared to the Predator and pack similar lethality.

While the Indian Navy and Army have significant use for the drones for domain awareness, the Indian Air Force was sceptical of Predators due to congested air space, and the presence of surface to air missiles and radars in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The Air Force is in favour of purchasing more fighter aircraft.

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Two U.S. General Atomics MQ-9B Sea Guardian intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance drones arrived at the Arakkonam naval air station in Tamil Nadu in November to boost the military’s surveillance sweep capabilities. The leased, directly from General Atomics under emergency procurement rules, was necessitated by the Ladakh situation amidst a live military confrontation with China and the need for elevated surveillance over the Indian Ocean.

ALSO READ: Contactless War: Dawn of a Dialectical Evolution in Warfare

As part its force restructuring to offset budgetary constraints, the Navy has been looking to induct more unmanned solutions, both aerial and underwater. As part of this, the requirement of additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft has been cut down from 10 to six and was to be offset by procurement of long endurance drones.

The Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 had introduced an option for leasing military platforms.

In 2019, the Navy had asked General Atomics for details of the Sea Guardian, following which company officials made detailed presentations on its capabilities.

The Guardian, which is the maritime variant of the Predator MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), has a maximum endurance of 40 hours and a maximum flying altitude of 40,000 feet. It has a 3600 maritime surveillance radar and an optional multimode maritime surface search radar.

According to the company’s data sheet, the drone can “perform over-the-horizon long-endurance, medium-altitude Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.”

The Sea Guardian drones under lease by the Indian Navy are not weaponised, though the type is capable of being configured for anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and the airborne anti-mine capability.

ALSO READ: Project Cheetah to Arm Heron and Searcher Drones Revived

The pair of Sea Guardians are only a fraction of the 22-30 such drones, including armed versions, that the Indian military has been looking to procure since the Obama Administration. A tri-service proposal to procure 10 Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) for each Service from the U.S., including armed drones has been in the pipeline for sometime but has been delayed due to budgetary considerations.

The drones arrived well after India signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCAS) with the United States, paving the way for export controlled communication equipment held off earlier military hardware like the Indian Navy’s Boeing P-8Is and Indian Air Force’s C-130J and C-17 aircraft.

The drones also arrived shortly after India and the U.S. managed to nail down the last of the foundational military cooperation agreements, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA).

About the Sea Guardians

The Sea Guardian RPAS features a multi-mode maritime surface-search radar with Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) imaging mode, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, a High-Definition – Full-Motion Video sensor equipped with optical and infrared cameras. This sensor suite, augmented by automatic track correlation and anomaly-detection algorithms, enables real-time detection and identification of surface vessels over thousands of square nautical miles.

Specifically, the Sea Guardian’s onboard sensors included the GA-ASI Lynx® Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a Raytheon Intelligence & Space SeaVue Expanded Mission Capability (XMC) radar, a Raytheon Intelligence & Space Multi-Spectral Targeting System, a Leonardo Electronic Support Measure (ESM)/Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) SAGE 750, a Shine Micro Automatic Identification System (AIS), an Ultra sono buoy receiver and a General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada sono buoy processor.

Other Leasing Possibilities

The Defense Ministry introduced a stop-gap solution under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. The government allowed the three services – Army, Navy and the Air Force – to lease equipment rather than buying them in one go.

In 2019, India had rented an Akula-1 class nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia for a period of 10 years at a $3billion contract. Russia will deliver the Akula-1 class submarine, to be known as Chakra III, to the Indian Navy by 2025.

The Navy has approached foreign vendors to enquire about short term lease of helicopters that can be used to transport supplies and personnel between ships with a secondary surveillance role. Under the newly introduced Defense ministry leasing guidelines, the Indian Navy is looking to lease 12-18 light utility helicopters for its logistical needs from foreign vendors.

The helicopters that will be leased will later be refitted with light weapons by the Navy as per its requirement adding that the helicopters will likely be equipped only with a machine gun during the lease period.

The Navy currently possesses the multirole Chetak choppers that were first delivered in 1965 and have been the backbone of the Search and Rescue (SAR), Casualty Evacuation and Route Transport Role (RTR) operations. However, the Navy is now looking to replace the ageing fleet of choppers.

While the IN has been quick at leasing equipment, the IAF is also consiodering lease of Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) and possibly even air-refuelers which has been a long-standing requirement for over a decade.

DAP Provisions

According to the DAP-2020, leasing of new or previously-used equipment is best suited where the time constraint militates against outright procurement or if the capability it provides is needed for a specific time period. Leasing is also recommended if the military asset or platform would remain underutilised if procured, its requirement is in limited numbers, and the cost of creating administrative and maintenance infrastructure is high. Obtaining operational experience would also be an objective for leasing.

The DAP-2020 gives the option of choosing between an ‘Operating Lease’ -an arrangement where the concerned asset may be acquired by the MoD at the end of the cessation of the leased period at a mutually agreed-price or a ‘Finance Lease’, under which the MoD pays the entire cost of the asset over the lease period and consequently assumes its ownership.

The Operating Lease could be a Dry Lease, in which only the asset is leased or alternately a Wet/Damp lease, under which the lessor provides the asset, crew, maintenance, and insurance to the lessee.

Leasing allows a cost-effective process to acquire military equipment without a commitment to capital expenditure. But leasing also requires a realistic assessment of likely budgetary allocations before opting for large-scale equipment leasing.

However, even for leasing military equipment, a formal process of acceptance of necessity (AON), request for information (RFI) and so on are required to be followed, which is similar to the regular acquisition process and can be time-consuming.

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