Question: Which one among the following in India recently has acquired two MQ 9B Sea Guardian Unarmed Drone from US?
a) Indian Navy
b) Indian Army
c) Indian Air Force
d) BSF
Answer: (a)
Related Facts:-
- On 21 November 2020; Indian Navy has inducted, two American MQ 9B Sea Guardian unarmed drone.
- These drones have been inducted into the flying operations at Indian Navy base at INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu.
- India at present acquired these drones on lease from US for one year.
- Features of MQ 9B Sea Guardian:
MQ 9B Sea Guardian is the maritime variant of the Predator MQ9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
- It has the capacity remain continuously in the sky for 40 hours and a maximum flying altitude of 40,000 feet.
- It has 3600 maritime surveillance radar and an optional multimode maritime surface search radar.
- It can be used in operations such as Anti-Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare.
- Sea Guardian drone is also useful for Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief, Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement (Drug Trafficking, Illegal Immigration and Piracy), etc.
- Need of the Time:
- The Navy has for the first time inducted two surveillance drones through a lease agreement with an American firm.
- This deal has been done, using the emergency powers granted by the Centre to the Armed forces amid the standoff with aggressive neighbor China.
- It should be known that under the emergency power, the government has granted emergency funds up to Rs. 500 crore per procurement project to the three armed services to buy ammunition and weapons in view of the escalating border standoff with China.
- Drones were procured under the option for leasing military platforms introduced in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.
- Importance:-
- Indian acquired these drones as they are meant for carrying out surveillance in the Indian Ocean Region.
- These drones can at the same time be deployed on the China border if asked for, or if needed.
Most importantly the Navy’s P8I Poseidon aircraft already have been deployed in Ladakh.
- The P-8I aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that have been developed by Boeing Company.
- Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon is designed for long-range Anti-Submarine warfare (ASW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
- The Defence Acquisition Council:
- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry.
- DAC has been constituted for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.
By – Rajesh Tripathi