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Biden administration notifies U.S. Congress of 31 MQ­9B UAV sale to India

  • February 2, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Biden administration notifies U.S. Congress of 31 MQ­9B UAV sale to India

Subject: Science and tech

Sec: Defence

Context:

  • The U.S. Congress formally notified of the possible sale of 31 MQ­9B high­ altitude  long endurance armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAV) to India at an estimated $3.99 billion.
MQ-9B Predator Drone

  • The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper”, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations.
  • These are high-altitude long-endurance drones armed with strike missiles which can take out enemy targets with high accuracy.
  • It was developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF).
  • The MQ-9B has two variants — Sky Guardian and its sibling Sea Guardian.
  • The Indian Navy has been operating the MQ-9B Sea Guardian since 2020.

Features of MQ-9B Sea Guardian :

  • It can carry up to 5,670 kg and has a fuel capacity of 2,721 kg.
  • The drone can operate at over 40,000 feet.
  • The Predator also has a maximum endurance of 40 hours, making it useful for long-hour surveillance.
  • It can support land, maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, strike, electronic warfare and expeditionary roles.
  • It is also capable of automatic take-offs and landings.
  • It can safely integrate into civil airspace, enabling joint forces and civil authorities to deliver real-time situational awareness anywhere in the maritime domain — day or night.
Biden administration notifies U.S. Congress of 31 MQ­9B UAV sale to India Science and tech

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