India, US sign $4 billion deal for 31 MQ 9B Predator drones, MRO facilities

[DDG-80]

The Indian and United States governments on Tuesday signed a deal worth ₹34,500 crore to acquire 31 Predator drones for the Indian armed forces. As part of the deal, India will also see the establishment of a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for the General Atomics-manufactured drones in the country.

Final approval for the mega deal was secured earlier this year during a Defence Acquisition Council meeting, with the Indian government cutting it close to an October 31 deadline set by the Americans. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) only approved the deal last week.

Of the 31 drones, 15 will be allocated to the Indian Navy, while the Air Force and the Army will each receive eight. The long-range drones will be armed and will add to the two that are already being leased by the Navy. India is acquiring the drones primarily to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the contested frontier with China.

Vivek Lall, the Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation who played a key role in the negotiations on the deal, was present at the signing ceremony.

General Atomics, the manufacturer of MQ9B, has a tie up with Bharat Forge to make UAV components and has also committed to setting up a global maintenance hub for drones in India. The manufacturer will also provide consultancy assistance for an Indian programme to develop combat drones. According to media reports, the two countries are also looking to work out a technology transfer deal later.

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 2022. The high-altitude long-endurance drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs.

 

[DDG-80]

@Pingle

 

[Pingle]

@Pingle

Its really a great news bro..... imagine with predators, MH60 Romeos, P8I and other Russian stuff we are now going to have one of the most cutting edge ASW system in asia....

 

[DDG-80]

Its really a great news bro..... imagine with predators, MH60 Romeos, P8I and other Russian stuff we are now going to have one of the most cutting edge ASW system in asia....

There’s no Russian stuff doing the frontline ASW duties anymore. We’ve totally shifted to Indian and Western systems for that. Just look at the mix we have now: the SMART missile for long-range anti-sub capabilities, the SOSUS network monitoring choke points, and the cutting-edge ACTAS sonar on our frontline warships. The MH-60 Romeos and P-8Is are beasts in the sky for ASW, and the Sea Guardians (MQ-9B) are adding to that power. Plus, we’ve got 16 dedicated ASW Shallow Water Crafts coming online for shallow water duties. So yeah, our ASW game is stacked, but it's Indian and Western tech that’s running the show.

D

Thread 'India 's Deep Sea AI Game-Nightmare for India's Enemies'

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India being a part of the Fishhook or the SOSUS (Sound Surveillance Sensors) network also benefits the countries in the Indian ocean region which share intel with India. The SOSUS network adds to China’s Malacca dilemma, it ensures that each time China’s submarines cross the Malacca strait, they come on India’s radar.

No warship, submarine can pass through Indian Ocean without being detected: Top Navy officer

A top Naval officer has stated that no country's warships or vessels can pass through the Indian Ocean without being detected by the Indian Navy's P-8I anti-submarine and surveillance planes. The officer emphasized that there is always at least one P-8I aircraft airborne to monitor the Indian...

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Beyond this, India has been funding in other projects in its...

• DDG-80
• Replies: 27
• Forum: Indian Defence Forum

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[UKBengali]

Can someone tell me why India cannot make something comparable itself or is this just India buying overpriced US weapons as some quid-pro-quo?

 

[kmc_chacko]

Can someone tell me why India cannot make something comparable itself or is this just India buying overpriced US weapons as some quid-pro-quo?

this deal will help local R&D in developing technology for the future.

 

[DDG-80]

Can someone tell me why India cannot make something comparable itself or is this just India buying overpriced US weapons as some quid-pro-quo?

Just take a look at the image showing the MQ-9B's key missions, which include airborne early warning, defensive counter-air, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare, long-range strategic ISR, and over-the-horizon targeting. The cost of operating the MQ-9B is significantly lower compared to manned aircraft like the P-8I, which makes it ideal for sustained surveillance missions. Think about it—this drone can operate continuously for up to 40 hours, watching over key maritime choke points in the IOR. That kind of endurance and efficiency is unmatched by manned systems.

Look at the ongoing war in Ukraine. Who do you think is helping guide the Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles that took down Russia’s Moskva flagship cruiser? It wasn’t just blind luck. American P-8s and MQ-9s were crucial in guiding those strikes, including other Russian warships. The same applies to HIMARS—targeting key Russian C2 centers, being pinpointed by these very drones.

For India, the MQ-9B will be doing something similar. It can provide constant ISR over vast areas like the IOR and land borders, supplying critical real-time data. It will watch, track, and even guide missiles to their targets, whether that's enemy ships, submarines, or ground forces. The MRO facilities being built under the deal ensure that the drones are maintained and ready for operations whenever needed, reducing downtime and costs even further.

 

[kaykay11]

Can someone tell me why India cannot make something comparable itself or is this just India buying overpriced US weapons as some quid-pro-quo?

So far there's no alternative to MQ-9B and also talks were going on for sometime now so no quid pro quo

 

[UKBengali]

this deal will help local R&D in developing technology for the future.

Do you know of this includes ToT on the sensors as that will be good technology transfer?

India is paying 100 million per drone and so this is not cheap deal.

 

[Justin TruDont]

Can someone tell me why India cannot make something comparable itself or is this just India buying overpriced US weapons as some quid-pro-quo?

This deal was under negotiations since 2020, so it has taken 4 years for deal to be signed, in the meantime India leased 2 Sea Guardian Drones for Maritime surveillance

So now we have trained crew to operate them

Globally their is no direct competitor to this drone

 

[Awwad]

View attachment 73099
The Indian and United States governments on Tuesday signed a deal worth ₹34,500 crore to acquire 31 Predator drones for the Indian armed forces. As part of the deal, India will also see the establishment of a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for the General Atomics-manufactured drones in the country.

Final approval for the mega deal was secured earlier this year during a Defence Acquisition Council meeting, with the Indian government cutting it close to an October 31 deadline set by the Americans. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) only approved the deal last week.

Of the 31 drones, 15 will be allocated to the Indian Navy, while the Air Force and the Army will each receive eight. The long-range drones will be armed and will add to the two that are already being leased by the Navy. India is acquiring the drones primarily to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the contested frontier with China.

Vivek Lall, the Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation who played a key role in the negotiations on the deal, was present at the signing ceremony.

General Atomics, the manufacturer of MQ9B, has a tie up with Bharat Forge to make UAV components and has also committed to setting up a global maintenance hub for drones in India. The manufacturer will also provide consultancy assistance for an Indian programme to develop combat drones. According to media reports, the two countries are also looking to work out a technology transfer deal later.

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 2022. The high-altitude long-endurance drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs.

Why such a large country like india not building its own heavy drones?

Since such a high tech equipment is US technology, it should be taken as granted that these US unmanned systems are obviously capable to share all the surviliance data & country's sensitive info with US as well. Worst case scenario they can take master control of the drone anytime they want. Note, they operate these from the US while the drones used to flying over Afghanistan. Such remote capability is core feature of these drones, its just about switching it on.

 

[agidest]

Why such a large country like india not building its own heavy drones?

Since such a high tech equipment is US technology, it should be taken as granted that these US unmanned systems are obviously capable to share all the surviliance data & country's sensitive info with US as well. Worst case scenario they can take master control of the drone anytime they want. Note, they operate these from the US while the drones used to flying over Afghanistan. Such remote capability is core feature of these drones, its just about switching it on.

India is, it just has not been successful so far. The usual story of the forces loving foreign equipment and Indian Govt. barely spending on building Indian R&D and products.

 

[agidest]

On a different note - I just read that the first MQ-9B will come in 2029 with the rest coming in quickly by 2031.

That's 5 years before the first drone is available. That means about 5 years till we lack these capabilities when the world looks like it could tip over to war anytime.