THE Defence Ministry announced inking an agreement with American defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian high-altitude longendurance unmanned aircraft for the Indian Navy at a cost of Rs 1,943 crore. The Navy already operates two Sea Guardian drones, which were leased a few years ago. The Ministry said it signed a contract with the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the remotely-piloted aircraft for a period of 30 months. “The contract is valued at approximately Rs 1,943 crore.

 

It was signed in the presence of additional secretary and director general (acquisition), Department of Defence,” it said. The MQ-9B Sea Guardian remotely-piloted aircraft are equipped with advanced systems, state-of-the-art sensors and sophisticated payloads. They will significantly enhance the Indian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness capabilities, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.