MQ-9B | Photo: General Atomics
India has signed a Rs 1,943 crore contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian remotely piloted aircraft systems for the Indian Navy for 30 months.
The Ministry of Defence said the contract was signed in New Delhi on August 17 in the presence of A. Anbarasu, Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence. The aircraft are intended to provide long-duration intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) coverage over the Indian Ocean Region.
The MQ-9B is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft designed for maritime surveillance. General Atomics says the SeaGuardian can remain airborne for more than 30 hours, depending on configuration, and can use systems including maritime surface-search radar, an Automatic Identification System and electro-optical and infrared sensors. The aircraft can also be configured for other missions.
The defence ministry placed the contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for the Indian Navy for a period of 30 months on August 17, 2026 | Photo: Ministry of Defence/PIB
The Indian Navy already operates two MQ-9B aircraft under an earlier lease arrangement. They have been used for surveillance of the Indian Ocean Region, with the aircraft based at Naval Air Station Rajali in Tamil Nadu.
The latest lease comes as India moves toward a larger MQ-9B fleet. India and the United States signed an agreement in 2024 for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B aircraft, including Sea Guardians for the Navy and Sky Guardians for the Army and Air Force. The deal was valued at about $3.5 billion.
The new leased aircraft are expected to supplement existing operational surveillance resources until additional MQ-9B aircraft acquired under the 2024 agreement enter service.
Last year, India’s Larsen & Toubro had announced a strategic partnership with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to manufacture the MQ-series Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India, with Larsen & Toubro the prime bidder for the 87 MALE RPAS programme of the Ministry of Defence along with GA-ASI as the technology partner.
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