Additional IN MQ-9B Lease Explained
The Ministry of Defence on Monday signed a contract with GA-ASI to lease two MQ-9B SeaGuardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for the Indian Navy for a period of 30 months.
The confusing lease needs to be put in the correct perspective.
Earlier, on October 15, 2024, India finalised a deal with the United States to acquire 31 MQ-9B Predator drones.
Of the 31 MQ-9B Predators contracted for, 15 were earmarked for the Indian Navy and eight each for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force.
The deal includes setting up an MRO facility for the General Atomics-manufactured drones in the country and a separate follow-up technology-transfer deal.
India has not yet received any of the 31 MQ-9Bs under the October 2024 purchase contract. The first deliveries are currently scheduled for 2029.
In an interview published in early 2026, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi was asked when the Navy could expect the first of its 15 MQ-9 SeaGuardians. His answer was:
“Delivery of first two RPAs ... are scheduled to commence wef Q1/2029.”
Possible reasons for the stretched delivery timeline likely include the need to produce the sensors and weapons systems ordered by the three Indian services, as well as the equipment required to set up the MRO facilities in India.
US MQ-9 Reaper Losses
The US has reportedly lost 45 MQ-9A Reaper RPAs in its ongoing conflict with Iran. The MQ-9A designation is used for variants operated by the US, while the MQ-9B designation is used for export variants variously configured to meet individual customer requirements.
It is conceivable that the reported attrition, if true, could further stretch the delivery timeline to India because GA-ASI would need to divert manufacturing capacity, components, engines, sensors and skilled manpower to make up for the losses.
Earlier Lease
In November 2020, The ToI reported that India had inducted two MQ-9B SeaGuardians for surveillance missions after acquiring them on a one-year lease from US firm General Atomics. The lease was later extended.
Based at Naval Air Station INS Rajali at Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, the two drones were to be used for long-range ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions over the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
In September 2024, the IN lost one of the two MQ-9s it had leased following a technical failure that resulted in a forced ditching.
The two additional MQ-9Bs contracted for lease would augment the surveillance capabilities of the IN.
China Develops AI-Based IR Seeker That Could Strip F-22, F-35 of Their Stealth Cloak
Chinese researchers have developed a lightweight IR missile seeker that uses AI to recognize the relatively weak exhaust signature patterns of US F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, even in the presence of IR countermeasures such as flares.
Lab tests showed recognition accuracy of more than 90% for simulated targets.
