Context:
Recently, the US Congress formally notified the possible sale of 31 MQ-9B high-altitude long-endurance armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to India.
MQ-9B UAV:
- It is a version of the MQ-9 “Reaper,” an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with the ability to fly independently or under remote control.
- It is equipped with strike missiles that can hit enemy targets with extreme accuracy, these are long-range, high-altitude drones.
- It was developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), United States of America.
- The MQ-9B Sea Guardian has been in service with the Indian Navy since 2020. It comes in two variants: Sky Guardian and its brother, Sea Guardian.
Features of the MQ-9B Sea Guardian:
- The drone has a maximum operating altitude of 40,000 feet. A fuel capacity of 2,721 kg and a maximum carrying load of 5,670 kg.
- It can support land, maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, strikes, electronic warfare, and expeditionary missions. It can also take off and land automatically.It can safely integrate into civil airspace and enables joint forces and civil authorities to provide real-time situational awareness throughout the maritime domain, day or night.
- It can support land, maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, strikes, electronic warfare, and expeditionary missions. It can also take off and land automatically.
Importance:
- It will also work in tandem with the US-origin P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft, significantly increasing the Indian Navy’s surveillance over the Indian Ocean Region.
- The MQ-9B will significantly improve the Indian armed forces’ intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.