US Officials Visit An Indian Navy Base That Has Leased Predator Drones
- GA-ASI leases the MQ-9s to India as part of a COCO deal, the company said, but didn't say how many units were leased to the country.
- The UK has bought the newer version of GA-ASI, and Belgium has placed an order for it.
The US officials went to a key Indian Navy base that rents American Predator drones. This showed how well the two countries work together to build strong defence cooperation.
During the visit, the Indian Navy told US Embassy staff about the capabilities of the remotely piloted aircraft and its different sensors, as well as how they help the Indian Navy with surveillance tasks, maintenance, and logistical support, according to a press release from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI).
Vivek Lall, CEO of General Atomics Global Corporation, said in a statement, “The visit by staff from the US Embassy in India to see MQ-9 operations from an Indian Naval Base shows the close cooperation between our two countries in building credible defence cooperation to bring and keep peace in the Indian Ocean Region.”
India has leased MQ-9 Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for more than two years.
“We were really impressed by how well the Indian Navy and GA-ASI worked together. Raghavan Srinivasan, Commercial Attach at the US Embassy in New Delhi, said that the Indian Navy has used the MQ-9 to its full potential. The MQ-9 is a proven ISR platform.
“Despite the speed of operations and the pressures of long-range maritime surveillance, it is clear that the Indian Navy and GA-ASI crew get along well,” Srinivasan said.
GA-ASI makes the most advanced RPAS in the world. They have cutting-edge technology and are controlled by a complex network of control stations and operational centres on the ground, according to a press release from Tuesday.
GA-ASI leases the MQ-9s to India as part of a Company-Owned, Company-Operated (COCO) deal, the company said, but didn’t say how many units were leased to the country.
GA-ASI is the biggest company in the world that makes RPA systems, radars, electro-optics, and other mission systems. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain all use MQ-9s. The UK has bought the newer version of GA-ASI, and Belgium has placed an order for it.
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