India to Sign Deal for MQ 9 Predator drones worth 4 Billion USD

[Circadian Rhythm]

We have already twice used MQ 9s for Valuable ISR operations

1 Galwan Valley in 2020

2 Operation against Pirates in Arabian Sea near Gulf of Aden in March 2024

Indian MQ-9B ‘Predators’ To Keep An Eye On China; Ukraine War Shows ISR Drones Can Wreak Havoc On Enemies

In what will be the most significant force multiplier for the Indian military, the deal for 31 MQ-9B drones will be one of the first orders for the new government post-elections in the country. The forces are gearing up to station these strategic assets in two states in the country, covering not...

www.eurasiantimes.com

 

[Circadian Rhythm]

Drishti is an Israeli UAV assembled in India by Adani. In terms of endurance, Indian startups have designed and developed High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellites with impressive long-range and endurance capabilities.

India's Pseudo-Satellite: Solar Plane That Can Fly For 90 Days At A Time

In what will be a significant addition to India's arsenal, scientists have been developing a solar-powered plane that can fly up to 90 days at a stretch, and a smaller version has been flown successfully for ten hours.

www.ndtv.com

D

Thread 'India tests high-altitude pseudo-satellite vehicle HAPS | Boost to border surveillance'

Feb 15, 2024

Why India wants to develop high-altitude pseudo-satellite vehicles, powered by the Sun​

Last week, the Bengaluru-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) successfully flew a prototype of a new-generation unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is being seen as a huge technology breakthrough. It was no ordinary UAV. This one can fly at great heights, about 20 km from ground, runs entirely on solar power, and can remain in the air for months on end. Such UAVs belong to a class of flying objects called HAPS, or high-altitude pseudo-satellite vehicles, or HALE...

• DDG-80
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Indian Defence Forum

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HAPS will be stationary at one place

By the way which SAR radar will go into HAPS

 

[r3alist]

It is not Pakistan-exclusive but due to MTCR factor. Pakistan should ideally find a way to develop missiles locally.

Secondly, Pak-US bilateral relationship is at a stage that show no progress. Pakistani leaders have not managed to develop bilateral relations with the US on long-term basis like with China.

Indians are relatively cool-minded. They have had tensions with the US in earlier years but are looking at ways to expand bilateral relations with the US among other countries. Indians do not consider foreign policy as a zero sum game.

Would you disagree if I said pak on relative basis, relative to last few decades, they are in a geopolitical sweet spot with the USA, just this moment

Why I say this is because indifference is probably the optimal posture the USA can have to Pak, that's in paks benefit

There is no possibility of frenemy dynamic, sometimes good to just be low profile

Also Pak is still likely being viewed as a hedge against India but not one that they need to help, just not aggressively hinder

I say this all in the post ik doland liu context

 

[Circadian Rhythm]

Would you disagree if I said pak on relative basis, relative to last few decades, they are in a geopolitical sweet spot with the USA, just this moment

Why I say this is because indifference is probably the optimal posture the USA can have to Pak, that's in paks benefit

There is no possibility of frenemy dynamic, sometimes good to just be low profile

Also Pak is still likely being viewed as a hedge against India but not one that they need to help, just not aggressively hinder

I say this all in the post ik doland liu context

Your IMF Conditionalities are so tough , that it clearly looks like Someone is pulling the strings

 

[r3alist]

Your IMF Conditionalities are so tough , that it clearly looks like Someone is pulling the strings

That might exist in general tbh

I meant relative to before when the hysteria over Pak nukes, terror, Taliban, haqqani network etc that's all disappeared from news, in fact Pak has too

Obviously Ukraine and Gaza are consuming more bandwidth, which is helpful

If anything, it's causing India issues (not trying to troll, it's not incitement)

 

[Circadian Rhythm]

That might exist in general tbh

I meant relative to before when the hysteria over Pak nukes, terror, Taliban, haqqani network etc that's all disappeared from news, in fact Pak has too

Obviously Ukraine and Gaza are consuming more bandwidth, which is helpful

If anything, it's causing India issues (not trying to troll, it's not incitement)

So earlier they Defamed you with Allegations of helping Taliban BUT gave IMF loans easily

Now they are squeezing your economy but not calling you names

Take your pick , when exactly your people had to face economic hardships - Now or before 2021

 

[r3alist]

So earlier they Defamed you with Allegations of helping Taliban BUT gave IMF loans easily

Now they are squeezing your economy but not calling you names

Take your pick , when exactly your people had to face economic hardships - Now or before 2021

It's relative and subjective

I framed it as the least worst option

You forget at the height of military cooperation there was the most controversy and issues and negative progoganda

So my inference here is with the USA effectively giving a cold shoulder it's probably better ok position versus other scenarios which might sound appealing to the military but have historically come at a bigger cost

That's it

 

[drkrn86]

Bro, the MQ-9B has 40 hours of endurance, while the P-8I can only manage about 10 hours. That’s a game-changer when it comes to ASW across the entire IOR. With the MQ-9B, we can keep a constant watch, track enemy subs, and monitor maritime activity for much longer without needing to rotate aircraft as often. That kind of endurance gives us better coverage, improved response time, and a major advantage in keeping the IOR under control. @Pingle

The MQ-9B is designed to fly over the horizon via satellite for up to 40 hours.

Explained | The India-U.S. deal for 31 MQ-9B drones

An explainer on the new deal between US and India on procuring 31 MQ-9b drones.

www.thehindu.com

40 hrs is theoretical, Maximum. Doubt USA will give such long endurance drones to us.
Main advantage of these UAV's are that they are unmanned, costs less per mission and less to maintain than p-8i's.
This makes them cost effective over their lifetime.
Both p-8i and Predator have theoretical respective advantages and disadvantages.
This deal is more of China centric. Pakistan as on date have an innocuous navy.

 

[LeGenD]

Irani’s have downed more than 200 of these via proxy and half of them crashed almost intact!

Irani’s know these and many other US drones inside out!

Free technology transfer bhai…….

I bet you money they gave us all this tech for free, cuz we buying huge amounts of their oil…….

Aaaaaahahahahahaaaaaa

The US have lost a total of 97 MQ-9 variants in all conflicts around the world since 2007 due to different reasons. The US have lost other drones in same conflicts so 200+ count is mixed. Well, this is a very low count in comparison to losses of all drones in Ukraine. The US is using RQ-170 variants in Ukraine and have not lost any there yet.

MQ-9 is a sophisticated drone that has produced results in different countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen. This drone was particularly used to assassinate a large number of terrorists/militants in difficult-to-reach areas of said countries. It was also used to take out high profile individuals in some cases.

MQ-9 has very good endurance and sensor package making it useful for ISR, COIN, and ASW missions from a distance and provide information to linked assets.

Indian forces are using these drones to plug ISR coverage gaps across land and sea and Indian Navy might use these drones to support P8i aircraft for ASW in Indian ocean. This is definitely an asset layer that will make Indian forces more effective than before and a matter of concern for us.

 

[Persian Gulf]

$129 million per drone? that's crazy for an old MALE drone that is virtually defenceless to any competent adversary

India should be able to build a MALE drone in that class for < $10 million ...

 

[Lulldapull]

The US have lost a total of 97 MQ-9 variants in all conflicts around the world since 2007 due to different reasons. The US have lost other drones in same conflicts so 200+ count is mixed. Well, this is a very low count in comparison to losses of all drones in Ukraine. The US is using RQ-170 variants in Ukraine and have not lost any there yet.

MQ-9 is a sophisticated drone that has produced results in different countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen. This drone was particularly used to assassinate a large number of terrorists in difficult-to-reach areas of mentioned countries. It was also used to assassinate some of the most fearsome commanders in these countries.

MQ-9 has very good endurance and sensor package making it useful for ISR, COIN, and ASW missions from a distance and provide information to linked assets.

Indian forces are using these drones to plug ISR coverage gaps across land and sea and Indian Navy might use it to support P8i aircraft for ASW in Indian ocean. This is definitely an asset layer that will make Indian forces more effective than before.

oh I totally agree. For operations against terror groups with no AD's, its a great asset. As a supplement to the Poseidon, its far better value for the money.

However using it against Iran or its proxies or against Russia or China........it just don't work.

 

[SteppeWolff]

They will be invaluable for ISR operations

Yes they are great for ISR and SAR operations, but in an active warzone with the enemy having a competent IADS? Nope.

 

[SteppeWolff]

$129 million per drone? that's crazy for an old MALE drone that is virtually defenceless to any competent adversary

Spot on , it can be a great drone against the likes of Taliban, but against competent conventional militaries, it's lifespan wouldn't be more than a few days of active use at most.

 

[GatlingGun]

$129 million per drone? that's crazy for an old MALE drone that is virtually defenceless to any competent adversary

India should be able to build a MALE drone in that class for < $10 million ...

Thats a lot of misinformation.
It's a turbo prop HALE , Not piston powered MALE. Engine alone would cost 6-10M$. These drones come with power hungry SAR equipments which piston can't power.
Even Turkish Akinci used for the search of Iranian Prez has Ukrainian turboprop, in same category costs about 100M$.

 

[Pataliputra]

Drones are effective in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine, where air defenses are either absent or easily suppressed. against China, drones have limited utility.