India-US MQ-9B Reaper Drone Deal

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Defence

Concept :

Deal for procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

Key Details:

The Union Defence Ministry is set to issue a Letter of Request (LoR) to the U.S. for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
Discussions are ongoing to increase the indigenous content and sourcing in the deal, aiming for an increase from the proposed 8-9% to 15-20%.
Certain components and electronics can potentially be manufactured in India, and General Atomics is engaging with Indian companies as part of the agreement.
The joint statement issued after the talks between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that the MQ-9Bs would be assembled in India, enhancing the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of the armed forces.
The Indian Navy has a particular interest in these UAVs due to their cost-effectiveness and capability to significantly enhance ISR capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
General Atomics will also establish a comprehensive global Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facility in India.

High-altitude long-endurance UAV:

High-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) generally refers to UAVs flying at an altitude of 15–20 km with a low speed.
In other words, it needs to realize long-distance flight in an environment with thin air and low temperature.
There are many ways to achieve long endurance, such as using sustainable energy sources (e.g., solar energy), increasing the energy density of energy storage (e.g., solid hydrogen), and improving power conversion efficiency.