As India’s $3bn Weaponised Drones Purchase Speeds Up, US Defence Conglomerate Plans ‘Long-Term’ Ties

New Delhi: With India’s $3 billion deal to purchase 30 MQ-9B Predator drones from US’ defence conglomerate General Atomics gaining momentum, the company is eyeing a “long-term relationship” with New Delhi, supporting the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar’, or self-reliance, programme in the defence sector, according to the firm’s Chief Executive Vivek Lall.

In an exclusive interview to ABP Live ahead of ‘Aero India 2023’, Lall, Chief Executive, General Atomics Global Corporation, said: “We understand that the MQ-9B acquisition program is at an advanced stage of discussion between the U.S. and India governments. General Atomics stands ready to support India and we value our long-time relationship.”

Last year, India had expressed its intention to acquire these weaponised unmanned aerial vehicles for all three services — Army, Navy and Air Force — in an effort to strengthen its presence and boost surveillance in sensitive sectors of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China as well as in the maritime domain as the country increases presence of its military in the Indian Ocean region.

“MQ-9B would enable its Indian military users to fly farther than anything else in this category, spend more time in the air and handle a greater diversity of missions than any other similar aircraft,” Lall said, adding that the model that has been selected for the Indian market is the “most advanced” version.

While the deal, which is being negotiated under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route of the US, has gained speed, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is yet to give the project a green signal. The deal was discussed in details during the last India-US 2+2 meeting held in April 2022 in Washington DC.

"The model being proposed to India is the MQ-9B, which is our most advanced line of remotely piloted aircraft, highlighted by their all-weather performance, unsurpassed endurance and it’s built for flight in unsegregated airspace,” Lall said in an emailed response.

He added that the ‘SkyGuardian’ and ‘SeaGuardian’ — both variants of MQ-9B — can deliver full-motion video in virtually any conditions, day or night, as well as other kinds of detailed sensing with their onboard systems.

A ‘SkyGuardian’ becomes a ‘SeaGuardian’ when it carries a 360-degree maritime search radar that gives users a quality of maritime domain awareness.

“The aircraft also can carry a wide variety of specialist payloads if they must adopt to a specific mission…  Artificial intelligence, machine learning and other sophisticated technologies help unlock the rich feed of insight from these aircraft, analyze it and distribute it to those who need it to take quick decisions,” he said.

It was the Indian Navy that first started using two Predator drones in November 2020, based on a lease agreement with General Atomics.

Lall also stressed that apart from intelligence, surveillance or military systems, these drones also carry other forms of payloads, including  communications relays, that enables it to act as a node connecting forces operating in land and sea at the same time.

“These aircraft can conduct search and rescue, help fight wildfires, support customs authorities, augment naval forces and take many other tasks …  The MQ-9B is the premier multi-role, long endurance remotely piloted aircraft in the world today. It is in high demand. Japan, Belgium, Great Britain, and several other nations are flying or are on track to begin flying them,” he said.

The company has also entered into a strategic partnership with Bharat Forge to manufacture the unmanned aerial vehicles in India.

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Supporting ‘Atmanirbhar’ In Defence, Tie-Ups In Critical Tech

Eyeing long-term growth potential in the Indian market, the California-based defence firm is keen on supporting the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar’ or self-reliance programme in the defence sector.

“General Atomics has enthusiastically embraced the Atmanirbhar initiative … General Atomics is committed to Indian Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ strategy and we’re looking forward to much more cooperation with Indian companies as we move forward,” said Lall.

The company is now foraying into the segments of artificial intelligence and semiconductor technology in India.

“In addition to our partnership with Bharat Forge that we announced in early January, we’ve had announcements about our work with 3rdiTech for semiconductor technology, and 114ai for Artificial Intelligence. I expect more partnerships to grow between General Atomics and Indian industry in the weeks and months to come,” he said.

Lall added: “We are looking forward to increased cooperation on NextGen AI technologies that we have been working on with the team at 114ai for the last few months. Their technology, track record and tenacity with customers in the U.S. and U.K. has stood out. We expect many world-leading products coming out of this partnership.”

In the semiconductor segment, the company has tied up with 3rdiTech that is also a defence startup like 114ai.

Last week, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan held the first round of the ‘US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology’, or iCET, in an effort to upgrade the strategic partnership between both countries.

Doval is believed to have discussed the drones deal with the US during his visit to Washington DC where he also met US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and Acting Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.