Predator drones to be deployed: As many as 31 Predator drones will be deployed by the Indian defence forces at three major hubs across the country to keep a watch of all areas, including the borders with Pakistan and China, and the vast maritime zone.
India and US announced the plans of Indian forces to procure 31 Predator drones during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.
Plan to deploy these drones at three major hubs
According to senior defence officials, the plan is to deploy these drones at three major hubs, one of which would be in the North or Northwest region while another would be in the northeastern region to look after the entire region.
INS Rajali would be home to one such hub from where the forces are already operating the two Predator drones which are taken on lease during the initial phase of a standoff with China in 2020-21. The three forces will also operate these drones from the bases enabling the launching and landing of such unmanned aerial vehicles.
The drones on lease are operated by the General Atomics representatives but now the Indian pilots from the three services would be trained for this role in India as well as in the US.
Drones to be operated by tri-services jointly
The officials said that the drones would be operated by the tri-services jointly.
“The proposal in this regard in the defence acquisition council was also sent by the tri-services headquarters,” the officials said. The officers from the tri-services carried out a detailed scientific analysis to arrive at the number of unmanned aerial vehicles of this long endurance variety.
“All the future deals by the tri-services, including ones for helicopters, drones and air defence weapon systems, would be done in the same manner," the official added. India shares vast maritime and land boundaries with two major adversaries -- Pakistan and China -- and requires constant monitoring of their activities to safeguard its national security interests.
The Predators, also called the MQ-9 Reaper, can fly up to 36 hours at a stretch and can be used for focused monitoring of any specific point or area of interest.
(With ANI inputs)
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