Thirty one MQ-9B Predators, 15 for the Indian Navy and eight each for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force will cost about $4 billion and the first deliveries are likely to happen by the end of 2026

The MQ-9B drones India will be buying from the United States of America-- the contract is likely to be signed in June-- will be placed in two states: Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Thirty one MQ-9B Predators, 15 for the Indian Navy and eight each for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force will cost about $4 billion and the first deliveries are likely to happen by the end of 2026. The Navy already has two Sea Guardians, and happy with their role in reconnaissance, are looking for 15 more. The two are on lease and will have to be returned, eventually. but like the two, the 15 will be in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, where INS Rajali is located.

The Army and the IAF are likely to have their Predators in Gorakhpur and Sarsawa. Both organisations will have four Predators in both stations. Training will begin, presumably in the United States, before the first drones come in.

With a range of about 1,800 km, the MQ-9B, manufactured by General Atomics, is used by the US Air Force and by its NATO allies. What is important is the range, the endurance and the altitude it can fly. It will allow extensive coverage of India's maritime regions, particularly because it can fly for a full day, and perhaps, a little bit more and at a height of 50,000 feet. When it comes to surveillance, as the Indian Ocean is home to many unsavoury elements like pirates and also, ships of major countries like China, the Sea Guardians will be of great help. Again, from Sarsawa and Gorakhpur, both the line of control/border with Pakistan and the line of actual control with China is comfortably within reach.

Importantly, the MQ-9B will not just be involved in surveillance; it will come with AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, with a range from half a km to about 10 km and can be used to hit tanks as well as terrorist targets, as has been in the past. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al Qaeda chief, was killed two years ago in Kabul, Afghanistan, and a Hellfire missile from a drone was used. It can also carry small bombs. Besides, it can be used against targets in the air.

(With Agency Inputs)