Navy gets replacement for MQ-9B drone that crashed in September

New Delhi: Months after an MQ-9B Sea Guardian drone crashed into the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Navy has received a replacement for the high-altitude long-endurance surveillance platform from its US-based manufacturer General Atomics, authoritative military sources said on Sunday.

One of the two MQ-9B drones that the Indian Navy had taken on lease was lost in a "controlled ditching" at sea following a technical snag in mid-September last year.

General Atomics has sent a replacement for the drone that crashed into the sea as per contract obligations, the sources told PTI.

The MQ-9B drones are capable of remaining airborne for over 35 hours and can carry four Hellfire missiles and around 450 kgs of bombs.

In 2020, the Indian Navy took the two MQ-9B drones on lease for a period of one year. However, the lease period was extended subsequently.

In October, India sealed a mega deal with the US to procure 31 Predator drones from General Atomics at a cost of nearly $4 billion to crank up the military's combat prowess along the contested borders with China.

The supply of the Predator drones will begin in January, 2029, the sources said.

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

The sources also said that the two multi-billion dollar procurement projects -- one for 26 naval variant of Rafale jets from France and another for three Scorpene submarines -- will be finalised by the end of the current fiscal.

Both the deals are in the final stages and will be sealed by March 31, they said.

In July 2023, the defence ministry approved the purchase of 26 Rafale (marine) jets from France, primarily for deployment on board the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

The ministry had also cleared procurement of three Scorpene submarines from France.

The procurement of the Rafale (M) jets along with associated ancillary equipment including weapon systems and spares would be based on an inter-governmental agreement (IGA).

The sources also said that the Navy is pushing the case for another indigenously-built aircraft carrier as the replacement for INS Vikramaditya, a Russian origin platform.

India's first indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant (IAC I) was commissioned into the Navy in September, 2023.

Built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore, INS Vikrant has a sophisticated air defence network and anti-ship missile systems. It has the capacity to hold 30 fighter jets and helicopters.

At present, India has two aircraft carriers -- INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.

The Navy is pitching for another indigenously-built aircraft carrier as replacement for INS Vikramaditya that is expected to have a lifespan of another 10 years.