Deal for 31 drones made with American company, know when India will get the first MQ-9B drone

New Delhi: India will start receiving MQ-9B drones from the year 2029. India has signed an agreement with American company General Atomics for 31 armed drones. These High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) will start being delivered from 2029 and all 31 drones will be delivered by 2030. According to sources, the first MQ-9B drone will be delivered in 51 months from now. The first delivery will take place in January 2029 and all drones will be delivered by September 2030. Of the 31 MQ-9B drones signed by India, 15 are Sea Guardians which will be given to the Indian Navy. Out of 16 Sky Guardians, eight will be given to the Army and Air Force. This deal is worth about 3.5 billion dollars.

Contract for 31 drones signed

This contract has been done under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program of the US government, which also includes two years of Contracted Logistics Support (CLS). One contract has been signed for 31 drones and the other contract has been signed with General Atomics Global India Private Limited for Performance Based Logistics (PBL), which will ensure depot level repair, maintenance and overhaul (MRO) in India.

PBL is for eight years or up to 1,50,000 flight hours, whichever is completed first. The deal for this drone was completed after a lot of ups and downs. The proposal made several years ago was to acquire 10 Sea Guardians for the Navy. Later it became a proposal of 30 drones for the three armies. In which Navy, Army and Air Force were proposed to get 10 drones each. But this proposal remained pending for many years.

Drones were necessary for the Navy

The Navy wanted these drones because they were fulfilling the needs of the Navy but the Air Force had objections to it. Then a few years ago this deal got stuck due to high cost because the discussion started that the number of drones should be reduced due to high cost but then the deal to buy 31 drones was finalized.

Some special features of MQ-9B drone

The MQ-9B Predator drone is a state-of-the-art aerial vehicle that is revolutionizing the military sector due to its advanced technology. This drone can fly at a height of more than 50,000 feet and can travel at a speed of 442 kilometers per hour. Its long range and high payload capacity enable it for effective surveillance and attack even in remote areas. Furthermore, it can be equipped with a variety of weapons, making it a versatile military equipment.