MORE TEETH TO INDIAN OFFENSIVE AIR POWER

The Acquisition of MQ-9B RPAs from the US significantly enhances India’s Defence with Advanced Surveillance and Strike Capabilities

By AIR VICE MARSHAL SANJAY BHATNAGAR (RETD)

The outcome of the recent state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US has been path breaking. The visit has been extraordinarily successful with several substantive outcomes relating to semiconductors, defence acquisitions, access to critical technology and the Artemis Accord for space cooperation. Both countries have agreed on Technology and defence partnerships among others. In this new chapter on far reaching defence partnership, key takeaways have been the deal to co-produce GE’s F414 combat aircraft engines in India and the deal to procure MQ-9B UAVs. These UAVs will increase India’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

India would soon be joining the elite club of other nations operating the MQ-9B including the US Air Force, US Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the Royal Air Force, the Italian Air Force, the French Air Force and the Spanish Air Force.

The modalities of acquisition were cleared ahead of Modi’s visit on June 15, 2023 by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), accordingly the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for acquisition of 31 MQ-9B (15 SeaGuardian and 16 SkyGuardian) High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAV from the US based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) through Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route, at an estimated cost of around $3.1 billion

Military Combat Drones

(`25,000 crore). The AoN included 15 UAVs for the Indian Navy (IN) and eight each for the Indian Army (IA) and the Indian Air Force (IAF). The case for acquisition of HALE class of UAV is being progressed by the Indian Navy as a lead service while the IAF is the lead service for procurement of MALE class of UAVs.

Operational Exploitation Globally

The USAF has made extensive use of the MQ-9 drones, especially in the Middle East and Afghanistan. At the peak of Afghanistan operations, the USAF had nearly three squadrons of MQ-9A Reapers operating from Kandahar. The drone has been employed on numerous occasions against time sensitive targets like Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Islamic State and other militant groups. Besides, the MQ-9 Reaper was also used in the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani (top commander of Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in-charge of operations in the Middle East), outside the Baghdad airport in January 2020 by firing modified Hellfire Ninja missiles. It has also been widely reported that on July 13, 2022 the United States Air Force (USAF) used the drone to fire Hellfire missile that killed the leader of AlQaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan, Kabul.

Drones, especially the weaponised drones have played a stellar role during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and operations over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the mid-1990s.

A Highly Capable System

The MQ-9 Reaper drone is a variant of drones manufactured by the US based GA-ASI. MQ-9B Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of being either remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF). The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long endurance, high altitude surveillance, it has a 950 shaft horsepower (712 kW).

The MQ-9B Reaper is 36.1 feet in length, has a 65.7 feet wingspan and a height of 12.6 feet. It has a range of 1,900 kms, is capable of carrying 1,800 kgs of fuel, can carry 1,700 kgs of weapons, including 1,361 kgs of external stores. MQ-9B has an endurance of over 27 hours, speeds of 240 KTAS, it can operate up to 50,000 feet.

It is classified as ‘Hunter Killer UAV’ because it is capable of undertaking roles such as surveillance, spying, intelligence gathering, or destroying the enemy’s location. It can operate up to 50,000 feet, and has a 3,850 pound (1,746 kilograms) payload capacity that includes 3,000 pounds (1,361 kilograms) of external stores.

The MQ-9B system essentially comprises of four subsystems, viz. a drone equipped with sensors and weapons; a ground control station (GCS), a Predator’s primary satellite link support systems; and a qualified team of operators.

The MQ-9B has two export versions- MQ-9B SkyGuardian and MQ-9B SeaGuardian. As the name suggests, the SeaGuardian is fitted with special equipment intended specifically for maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

SkyGuardian has an over the horizon SATCOM connectivity providing a 40 hours endurance in all weather, by day and night, capable of providing realtime situational awareness globally. It seamlessly integrates into civil airspace. It can be fitted with the Lynx Multi-Mode Radar and an advanced electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor. It has automatic takeoff and landing capability. It has a longer wingspan (as compared to MQ-9A) at 79 ft. SkyGuardian provides enhanced payload capacity. Its open architecture system enables the aircraft to be integrated with the most advanced sensor payloads for intelligence gathering,