The Ministry of Defence has signed a ₹1,943 crore 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.
The agreement, signed on Monday at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi, will run for 30 months and is aimed at strengthening India’s ability to monitor its maritime domain.
The leased MQ-9B Sea Guardian systems are equipped with advanced sensors, sophisticated payloads and other modern systems designed for long-duration operations.
According to the Ministry of Defence, their induction will significantly enhance the Indian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) capabilities.
The aircraft will provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) coverage across large areas of the maritime domain.
The leased systems are expected to improve India’s ability to maintain continuous surveillance over important maritime areas and track developments across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Persistent airborne surveillance can provide naval authorities with greater visibility over activities across large maritime areas, supporting faster assessment of emerging situations.
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian deployment is therefore expected to complement India’s broader efforts to strengthen maritime security and surveillance capabilities.
The contract was signed in the presence of A. Anbarasu, Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence.
The agreement covers:
- Aircraft: Two MQ-9B Sea Guardian RPAS
- Operator: Indian Navy
- Lease period: 30 months
- Contract value: Approximately ₹1,943 crore
- Supplier: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
- Primary role: Maritime Domain Awareness and ISR
India has a vast maritime area to monitor, making persistent surveillance an important component of maritime security.
The MQ-9B Sea Guardians will give the Navy access to long-endurance unmanned aerial surveillance during the lease period. Their advanced sensors and payloads are intended to help gather information over wide maritime areas and improve situational awareness.
The contract consequently represents an effort to strengthen the Navy’s surveillance capabilities while supporting India’s broader focus on maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
