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 Context: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for Tri-Services from the USA through Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route.

The procedure under the FMS route

• Under the FMS route, a Letter of Request (LOR) would be sent to the US Government where Tri-services requirements, details of equipment and terms of the procurement would be included.
• Based on LOR, the US Government and MoD will finalise the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) where details of equipment and terms of the procurement would be negotiated and finalised in accordance with the FMS program and the price and terms offered by the US Government and GA to other countries.

About MQ-9 Reaper

• The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper also called Predator B is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations.
• It has been developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF).
• The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance.
• The MQ-9 is a larger, heavier, more capable aircraft than the earlier General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and can be controlled by the same ground systems.

MQ-9B SkyGuardian

• It is the next generation of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), delivering persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) around the globe.

MQ-9B SeaGuardian

• MQ-9B SeaGuardian is the maritime-focused sibling of the revolutionary SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS).
• SeaGuardian not only integrates the most advanced maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, but it is also the first RPAS in its class to enable real-time search and patrol above and below the ocean’s surface.

Conclusion

The deal is estimated to cost approximately US$ 3 billion and is one of the biggest outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US. These world-class drones are going to be assembled in India and will further enhance the ISR capabilities of India’s armed forces across domains.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1935160

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