WINGS OVER THE OCEAN

Indian Naval Aviation is dramatically upgrading its combat potency with its latest inductions, writes Atul Chandra

-  Atul Chandra

Indian Naval Aviation is on course to achieve force levels last in the mideighties. The intervening decades have been particularly difficult for naval aviation with the collapse of the Soviet Union in nineties being the most trying of all. While the navy's heavy dependency on Russian equipment has slowly reduced, it is in naval aviation where this shift is most visible. All of naval aviation's most important purchases in the last 10-15 years have been of manned and unmanned systems of Western origin. Before the end of this decade, naval aviation would have inducted and operationalised the Sikorsky's MH 60R ASW helicopters, MQ-9B Sea Guardians and Dassault Rafale Ms.

Transformative Acquisition

Perhaps the most transformational of these inductions is the deal with the USA for the induction of 15 MQ-9B Sea Guardians manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI). An additional 16 MQ-9B Sky Guardians are being acquired for the army and air force. The order for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System's (RPAS) is worth over ₹32,000 crore. The highly sophisticated RPAS' are being acquired from the USA under the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route and will bring in a quantum leap in navy's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability.

The MQ-9B is GA-ASI's most advanced currently available for export and will provide the navy to persistent surveillance capability and the ability to strike time-sensitive targets with hitherto unprecedented levels of precision. Naval Aviation MQ-9Bs will be equipped with AGM-114R Hellfire missiles and GBU39B/ B Laser Small Diameter Bombs (LSDB). When operating in conjunction with the navy's Boeing P-8I and Sikorsky MH-60Rs, the MQ-9B will be a potent force multiplier for the navy.