MQ-9B Drone Leased From US Crashes Into Bay of Bengal

A High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft (HALE RPA) leased by the Indian Navy operating from INS Rajali

MQ-9B Drone Leased From US Crashes Into Bay of Bengal

A High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft (HALE RPA) leased by the Indian Navy operating from INS Rajali, Arakkonam (near Chennai) encountered a technical failure at about 1400 hrs whilst on a routine surveillance mission which could not be reset in flight.  The aircraft was navigated to a safe area over sea and carried out a controlled ditching at sea off Chennai. A detailed report has been sought from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).

The Navy had leased the two RPAs from the US-based GA in 2020 in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh. GA will also establish a Comprehensive Global MRO facility in India to support India’s long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities, a joint statement issued by India and the US earlier had said.

A variant of the Predator B drones manufactured by US firm General Atomics, the navy leased two MQ-9Bs four years ago to boost its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in the vast Indian Ocean region and has been operating them from naval air station Rajali in Tamil Nadu. Under the lease, the two RPAs have been operated by the OEM to provide assured surveillance of the vast region to the navy, officials aware of the matter said. The OEM will now have to replace the lost RPA with another one to meet the navy’s needs as per the agreement, they added.

The RPAs have helped the navy keep a close watch on the Indian Ocean at a time when it has stepped up surveillance in the region to check China’s ambitions. The two MQ-9Bs have clocked a combined 18,000 hours of flying. The incident comes at a time when India in negotiating the purchase of 31 MQ-9Bs from the US to boost the military’s strength in a deal worth almost $3.1 billion.

The estimated cost includes weapons, sensors, ground control stations, ground data terminals, ground handling equipment, spares and logistics support. Fifteen UAVs will be for the navy, and eight each for the army and the Indian Air Force. Capable of operating at an altitude of 40,000 feet, the MQ-9B UAVs have an endurance of 40 hours and a range of more than 5,000 nautical miles.