India Set to Order High Altitude SeaGuardian Unmanned Drones Shortly from US, indicates Admiral R Hari Kumar

US to Help India in Developing HALE Technology US to set up an MRO for SeaGuardians in India

- GULSHAN LUTHRA

NEW DELHI. The Indian Navy is working on acquiring sophisticated drones for Combat and ISR roles and the much-awaited AON for 30 High Altitude SeaGuardians "would be fielded Very Shortly."

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar told India Strategic in an interview that the case for 30 (General Atomics) MQ 9B HALE RPAS (SeaGurdians) is "ready in all respects and would be fielded for accord of AoN very shortly." The Indian Navy is already operating two unarmed MQ 9A Reapers for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) deep in the Indian Ocean, and, he observed the "Indian Navy's experience with leased operations of SeaGuardian has been good and therefore, IN is actively pursuing a case for procurement of these aircraft."

The Navy was the first Service to ask for SeaGuardians, the specific variant for monitoring ocean waves and depths, of the General Atomics generally-named Predator system, but later the Indian Air Force and Army also put up their requirements. So a figure of 30 of these highly sophisticated RPAS, or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, was worked out with 10 aircraft for each Service. The requirement covers both Intelligence, Surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and Attack systems, the same that the US Air Force has used to locate and attack targets in Afghanistan with remote control joysticks and consoles in the hands of combat pilots on ground stations maybe in California or wherever.