The 31 MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft or ‘SeaGuardian’ drones that India would be buying from the US in an estimated $3.99 billion government-to-government deal, will come loaded with 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles.
Just 5 ft 11 inches in length and known for its low weight of just 49kg, the High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) air-to-ground Hellfire Romeo is remarkable for its pin-point precision, which results in very low collateral damage. It can also be launched against aerial targets.
With a range of 8km, the multi-function warhead missile is guided by a semi-active laser homing and travels at a speed of Mach 1.3.
But the missile is also prohibitively expensive at about Rs 83 lakh ($100,000) apiece.
Fifteen of the 31 drones would be for the Indian Navy, while eight each would be given to the Indian Army and the Air Force.
On Thursday, the US’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying the US Congress of this possible sale.
Among other items and add-ons, the MQ-9Bs would be delivered along with 16 M36E9 Hellfire Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM), and 310 GBU-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bombs (LSDB).
A statement by US’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Thursday, said: “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defense partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region.
“The proposed sale will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation…. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” it added.
The Indian Navy already operates two MQ-9s that it had taken on lease from the US. Besides being used for maritime surveillance, these two drones are also used to keep an eye on Chinese military movements and infrastructural development in the northern sector.
One of the MQ-9s was used by the Indian Navy for the first time on January 5 to locate a merchant ship that was hijacked by pirates in the north Arabian Sea. Later, a team of Indian Navy commandos intercepted the hijacked ship and cleared it off the hijackers.
The MQ-9B is understood to be a progression for its earlier avatars—the MQ-9A ‘Reaper’ and MQ-1 ‘Predator’.
