Amidst Chinese threat, India may buy MQ9B drones from US

When Indo-US defence ties are at their all-time high, a deal on MQ9B is easier to make. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already shown his policy preference to make high-end drones in India.

New Delhi, Feb 8: India and the US are working on a potential transaction of 'Guardian MQ9B' drones, according to media reports. The deal could be extremely useful for India, especially as the Chinese border aggressions have become routine. The US gives access to this technology to only the closest allies. It did not give them even to Ukraine despite all its largesse.

As per the reports flowing in, it appears that the Indian government has shown some urgency as Indian defence forces want to acquire the world's top platform for armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability. Needless to say, Guardian MQ9B drones from General Atomics (GA) is the one solution that has no parallels in the world for now.

The requirement for intelligence and surveillance is quite massive for India, especially on the northern borders where China has a nefarious agenda and is working under a design. The regular incursions have become a major issue that India would want to resolve with the help of military technology and for that MQ9B suits the most.

A defence partnership to be worked out

It's not that Indian defence companies are not in partnerships with the US defence companies. For instance, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems has partnered with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Similarly, Boeing Aerospace has partnered with Tata's and formed Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited to make fuselage for AH-64 Apache.

Therefore, when Indo-US defence ties are at their all-time high, a deal on MQ9B is easier to make. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already shown his policy preference to make high-end drones in India. Since, the year will see a lot of Indo-US engagement at all levels, the MQ9B deal would also surface.

For instance, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is set to travel to India early in March while US President Joe Biden will be traveling to Australia and meet Prime Minister Modi there. Later this year, President Biden will be visiting India as a part of the G20 summit in Delhi.

What is MQ9B and why is it so valuable?

MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones have been rated high by defence experts as it is the next generation of remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) known for higher performance. It not just delivers persistent intelligence but helps in surveillance and reconnaissance as well and that too extremely accurately. Last but not the least, it could fly for more than 40 hours in all types of weather and all altitudes.