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Two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones to be leased to Indian Navy for 30 months as New Delhi looks to bolster maritime surveillance across the Indian Ocean Region
India has signed a $203 million (Rs 1,943 crore) contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian high-altitude, long-endurance drones to the Indian Navy for 30 months, the government said on Monday.
The agreement is aimed at significantly strengthening the Navy’s maritime domain awareness capabilities and its ability to monitor and respond to developments across the Indian Ocean Region.
The deal comes as India and China intensify their strategic competition for influence across the Indian Ocean, making persistent surveillance and monitoring of the region increasingly important for New Delhi.
The Indian Navy had previously leased two MQ-9A Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics in 2020 for an initial one-year period. The lease was subsequently extended.
India has also been pursuing the acquisition of armed long-endurance drones from the United States. In 2024, New Delhi signed an agreement with the US to purchase 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian and Sea Guardian drones.
The latest lease agreement provides the Indian Navy with additional high-endurance surveillance capability while India moves ahead with its broader plans to expand its unmanned aerial warfare and maritime surveillance capabilities.
