It can fly just 250mt above the ground to evade enemy surveillance and hit targets with the help of missiles from a distance of 2,000km! India is all set to receive the world's deadliest drone, the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper or Predator B, from the US. The Joe Biden Administration in Washington DC recently confirmed that it would hand over 31 such drones to the South Asian nation.
The Indian Ministry of Defence issued a statement, mentioning that the sale, valued at approximately USD 3.99 billion, would encompass 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles, 310 GBU-39B/B laser small-diameter bombs, and 161 embedded global positioning and inertial navigation systems. Defence experts have speculated that these drones would be very effective for the Indian Army in the context of the current standoff with China over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
The Narendra Modi Government in New Delhi started talks regarding the acquisition of the MQ-9 Reaper drone with Washington DC during the Presidency of Donald Trump about six years ago. The two sides reached an agreement on this issue a year and a half ago. Vivek Lall, the CEO of General Atomics Global Corporation that manufactures the Predator drone, claimed at the end of 2022 that the talks between the two countries about this drone almost reached the final stage. New Delhi and Washington DC signed a contract for the purchase of drones by India's Defence Prosecution Council in the presence of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in June 2023.
This deadliest drone is categorised as high-altitude, long-endurance UAV, designed for extended flight durations at altitudes exceeding 40,000ft. With a maximum endurance of 40 hours, it provides a reliable platform for prolonged surveillance. According to sources close to General Atomics Global Corporation, the MQ-9B is armed with strike missiles, allowing the drone to engage and eliminate enemy targets with high precision. This particular feature boosts its effectiveness in various roles, including land and maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare and expeditionary missions.
Furthermore, the MQ-9B Predator is capable of automatic take-offs and landings, providing operational flexibility. Also, it can safely integrate into civil airspace, enabling joint forces and civil authorities to obtain real-time situational awareness in the maritime domain, both day and night. The impressive carrying capacity of the drone is up to 5,670kg, with a fuel capacity of 2,721kg. These features enhance its operational capabilities.
So far, the US has used the MQ-9 Reaper drone to eliminate Taliban founder Mullah Muhammad Omar, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud, top al-Qaeda leader Salim Abu-Ahmad, Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and al-Qaeda chief Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri. While the Indian Navy shall receive 15 such drones, the Army and Air Force will receive eight high-altitude long-endurance drones each.
In a separate development, Reuters, based on two sources close to the Modi Government in New Delhi, has reported that India will invite private firms to invest about USD 26 billion in order to generate 11,000MW of nuclear power by 2040. At this point, India generates less than 2% of its electricity from nuclear power. The plan represents that a significant component of the Government's clean energy goals is based upon going forward, and not backward.
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