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Navy inducts Predator drones on lease from US for Indian Ocean surveillance

The two US Predator drones are operating out of the Indian Navy's INS Rajali airbase and were inducted under a lease agreement with the American vendor in the third week of November.

File photo of a US Predator drone.

Indian Navy has inducted two American Predator drones on lease from the US to carry out surveillance in the Indian Ocean region. Capable of carrying out surveillance for more than 30 hours, the drones are operating out of Indian Navy's INS Rajali airbase.

These drones have been inducted under a lease agreement with the American vendor. As part of the deal, the vendor has deployed a team to guide the personnel operating the Predator drones.

In fact, the American Predator drones could also be made available to Indian forces deployed along the LAC in eastern Ladakh where India and China are engaged in a military standoff.

Over the past few months, India and the US have been working closely in opposition to Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh. Under this partnership, the US is helping India with surveillance and information sharing in all domains.

The option of leasing weapon systems has been provisioned under the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 and the Defence Procurement Manual 2009. This helps India cut back on expenditure since the responsibility of maintenance also lies with the vendor.

As part of the lease agreement, the American support staff will only assist with maintenance and technical issues. This means that sortie planning and joystick control will rest with Indian Navy personnel. Data gathered during the flights by the Predator drones will also be the exclusive property of the Indian Navy, sources added.

Over the past few years, Indian armed forces have been showing faith in American systems for surveillance requirements. The Indian Navy is already using as many as nine P-8I long-range surveillance planes and is expected to get another nine over the next few years.

Even in the case of helicopters, India is buying 24 MH-60 Romeos which will give the forces a multirole capability. India and America have also signed the basic foundation agreements for cooperation in defence and national security domains.


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