The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) want to improve their monitoring along the whole border with China, from Ladakh in the north to Arunachal Pradesh in the northeast. They plan to do this by putting MQ-9B Predator drones made in the US at air bases in Gorakhpur and Sarsawa in Uttar Pradesh.
“The selection of Gorakhpur and Sarsawa air bases is strategic, given their long runways which are ideal for operating long-range and endurance drones capable of remaining airborne for over 36 hours continuously,” a defense official said.
The drone deal, which is worth about USD 4 billion, is being worked out by all three services. The Indian Navy is in charge of talks with the US side.
Out of the 31 drones that are going to be bought, 15 will go to the Navy and 16 will be split fairly between the Army and the Air Force. It is planned that each service will use eight drones together at the marked spots.
During their assembly in India, work is also being done to fit these Predator drones with weapons systems made in India. Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said that the possibility of combining drones with Indian weapons systems was being looked into.
This type of drone can fly at a height of 40,000 feet for more than 36 hours. It can carry smart bombs and Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.
In addition to this move, India already has two drones that were added to the Indian Navy in November 2020 and are being used. During the fight between India and China in the Galwan Valley and other places in eastern Ladakh, these drones were very important.
India and the US may sign a USD 4 billion deal for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This shows that the two countries are working together more and more to improve India’s aerial monitoring, especially along its northern borders.
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