Defence ministry inks Rs 1,943 cr drone lease
Ministry of Defence on Monday signed a contract with US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aircraft for the Indian Navy. The deal is worth Rs 1,943 crore. The Navy already operates two Sea Guardian drones, which were leased a few years ago.
The ministry said it signed a contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the remotely piloted aircraft for a period of 30 months.
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian remotely-piloted aircraft are equipped with advanced systems, state-of-the-art sensors and sophisticated payloads. They will significantly enhance the Indian Navy’s maritime domain awareness capabilities, the ministry said in a statement.
The systems will provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage over vast areas of the maritime domain, strengthening India’s ability to monitor and respond to developments across the Indian Ocean Region.
