USA has approved the sale of 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India. The deal, estimated to be worth $2to 3 billion. The sale of 22 predator drones are manufactured by General Atomics.
The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics and used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Initially conceived in the early 1990s for aerial reconnaissance and forward observation roles, the Predator carries cameras and other sensors but has been modified and upgraded to carry and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or other munitions.
The aircraft, in use since 1995, has seen combat in war in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the NATO intervention in Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq War, Yemen, Libyan civil war, the intervention in Syria, and Somalia.
India has been looking to buy 22 of the unarmed surveillance aircraft, MQ-9B Guardian, worth more than $2 billion to keep watch over the Indian Ocean.
The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance. The designation of India being a “major defence partner” was decided by the previous Obama Administration, and formally approved by the Congress.
Powered by a Rotax engine and driven by a propeller, the air vehicle can fly up to 400 nmi (460 mi; 740 km) to a target, loiter overhead for 14 hours, then return to its base.
Following 2001, the RQ-1 Predator became the primary remotely piloted aircraft used for offensive operations by the USAF and the CIA in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal areas; it has also been deployed elsewhere.
Civilian applications have included border enforcement and scientific studies, and to monitor wind direction and other characteristics of large forest fires.