India expands drone fleet

India's defence landscape is evolving rapidly as it seeks to bolster its drone capabilities amid increasing regional tension.

As India faces challenges in developing its own medium-altitude, long-endurance drones, the government recently finalized a deal to acquire 31 MQ-9Bs from General Atomics. This tri-service purchase is valued at 320 billion rupees (around $3.8 billion) and includes 15 SeaGuardians for the Indian Navy, along with eight SkyGuardians each for the Indian Air Force and Indian Army, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Officials in New Delhi have not provided a clear rationale for choosing the costly US-made MQ-9Bs over local alternatives that would align with the country's commitment to localize arms manufacturing. The urgency of India's operational needs - such as monitoring Chinese troops along the northern border and observing Chinese and Pakistani naval activities in the Indian Ocean - is critical. 

“Our MQ-9B aircraft deliver valuable, actionable intelligence over land and over sea, and allow their operators to see, know and respond faster than ever before,” said General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley.

This acquisition will position India as the largest operator of MQ-9Bs. Indian defence officials feel they can no longer afford to wait for government entities to develop domestic drones like the TAPAS BH-201, which has faced setbacks and has not met performance standards. Vice Adm. Krishna Swaminathan, the vice chief of the Indian Navy, stated on October 22 that “the TAPAS drones in their current form do not entirely meet our requirements,” which led to the decision to pursue MQ-9Bs instead.

Swaminathan remarked: “We hope the next version of TAPAS will be much better. We look forward to that day when we can make such drones like the MQ-9B, and maybe TAPAS is the right way to go.” India is facing challenges in keeping pace with rivals China and Pakistan in the high-performance drone sector.

For instance, Pakistan has acquired the TB2 Bayraktar and Akinci from Turkey, along with Wing Loong and CH-4B drones from China. Delhi initially showed interest in the MQ-9A back in 2016. The US offered the Indian Navy 22 MQ-9B SeaGuardians in 2017, and by 2018, both the army and air force had also decided to acquire the model. 

As negotiations prolonged, the Indian Navy leased two SeaGuardians in 2020, one of which unfortunately crashed into the Bay of Bengal in September. India has signed a contract with General Atomics Global India for performance-based logistics related to the new MQ-9Bs, enabling depot-level maintenance, repair, and overhaul to be conducted within India.

By Naila Huseynova