India may trim by half a potential order to import hi-tech unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the United States due to financial constraints, two government officials familiar with the Navy's modernization plans.
Instead of pursuing the Navy's original condition of 22 MQ-9B Sea Guardian UAVs to boost its intelligence, observation and investigation capabilities, India now plans to buy only 10 such systems under the US government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
The 22 UAVs, made by General Atomics, were approximate to cost $2 billion. India began the FMS process in 2016 by issuing a Letter of Request (LOR) to the US.
"Responding to the LOR, the US has supplied us with the Price And Accessibility (P&A) data for the Sea Guardian systems. The navy has studied it and rationalized its condition from 22 to 10 UAVs because of the cost and the necessity of the other services."
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is also keen to buy Predator Avenger UAVs from the US.
The downsizing of the order will mean that the navy will have to prioritize the areas it wants to keep under observation using the Sean Guardian UAVs, said a senior navy officer on condition of anonymity.
"We had arrived at a figure of 22 on the basis of our desires. But we have to manage with the resources we have. The navy has several aerial observation platforms such as P-8I aircraft, IL-38s, Dornier planes, and other UAVs," he said.
A government-to-government deal does away with the need to float a tender. Such transactions may be difficult in their commencement and implementation but are more transparent to financial scrutiny.
"If financial constraints are there, then there's no choice but to order fewer UAVs," said military affairs expert Rear Admiral (retd) Sudarshan Shrikhande. The MQ-9B Sea Guardian systems will provide unmatched aptitude and observation capabilities to the navy, he said.
The navy currently operates a mix of Israeli-built Heron and Searcher UAVs for intelligence-gathering and scrutiny. It has a vast area of responsibility in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) spanning millions of square kilometers, with warships being deployed to as far as the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Malacca and the northern Bay of Bengal to the southeast coast of Africa.
With their range and survival, Sea Guardian UAVs will provide India advanced capabilities for ocean observation, especially at a time when Chinese naval presence in the region has gone up. India's restricted economic zone alone measures 2.4 million square kilometers, which is also the Navy's responsibility.
Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had highlighted the implication of the Indian Ocean earlier this month, calling it the Navy's only front. "As we rush ahead in the 21st century, the attention of the entire world is focused on the Indian Ocean Region, where our navy is increasingly seen as a 'net security provider'…Our security strategy is aimed at providing a maritime environment that is free from all forms of traditional and non-traditional threats to our national development".
The P-8I planes, the foundation of the Navy's long-range maritime observation fleet, have also been imported from the US. India currently operates eight Boeing P-8I planes and four more will join the fleet by 2021.
General Atomics has also designed the electromagnetic aircraft launch and recovery system (EMALS), which is likely to be fitted on India's second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-II).
The navy is getting more American equipment. India issued a LOR to the US government in November for 24 MH-60R Seahawk multirole helicopters under the FMS programme.
Since 2008, India has bought or ordered military equipment worth $15 billion from the US. This includes C-130J special operations planes, C-17 transport aircraft, and P-8I submarine hunter planes.
