India hopes to seal the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles deal with the US

[Neil]

India hopes to seal the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles deal with the US during Obama visit


NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obama's visit next month could bring some good tidings for the Indian skies, both in hinterland and along the border, with Delhi planning to acquire Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from America.

With defence trade and joint production as key talking points during the visit, UAVs are among the items that the two sides are looking to co-produce and co-develop, official sources indicated.

This is part of the Indo-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) that would receive a fillip during the Obama visit. The bilateral political-military dialogue last week in Delhi prepared the ground work for DTTI discussions for the presidential visit, sources informed.

Besides, the appointment of Ashton Carter as US Defence Secretary would be good news for DTTI. It was Carter who as Deputy Defence Secretary initiated DTTI and pushed for defence exports and discussed joint production during his visits to Delhi in 2012 and 2013.

Currently, India has few UAVs. But sources pointed out that the government is likely to give a major push to induction of UAVs in armed forces, which could be either made at home or acquired from foreign players. Delhi could end up spending $3 billion for UAVs of different sizes, range and parameters catering to varied specific requirements over the next decade, according to defence experts.

Last June, Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Frank Kendall, had told reporters in Washington that the US has a number of "ground breaking" defence technologies, including UAVs, to offer India for co-development and co-production.


India hopes to seal the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles deal with the US during Obama visit - Economic Times

 

[Neil]

Navy seeks US UAVs for ocean surveillance


The Indian Navy has earlier shown interest in acquiring six to eight of the maritime variants of the US high altitude, long endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for extended ocean surveillance. The drones have been upgraded as the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance platform for the U.S. Navy, providing real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over vast ocean and coastal regions.

The Global Hawk has been deployed by the U.S. in Japan, and the U.S. this week approved the sale of four Global Hawks to South Korea. Australia and Japan too have expressed interest in these drones, though Australia later backed out because of the high price.

If the deal goes through, it will be a huge force multiplier for the Indian military in carrying out round-the-clock surveillance of terrorist movements across the border or tracking suspicious vessels in the open seas. Apart from the UAVs, both sides are also working to conclude final negotiations of the $2.5 billion helicopter deal for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy lift helicopters, sources said.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

 

[Neil]

Deal for high altitude UAVs likely


An agreement or announcement to this effect is likely when U.S. President Barack Obama visits India as the chief guest for the Republic Day ceremony next month, sources informed The Hindu.

India and the U.S. are negotiating a deal for the purchase of high altitude, long endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

An agreement or announcement to this effect is likely when U.S. President Barack Obama visits India as the chief guest for the Republic Day ceremony next month, sources informed The Hindu.

Though the variant and the numbers are not known, it has been learnt that the UAV in question is most likely the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, a non-combat drone and the largest unmanned aircraft system built by the U.S.

Global Hawk is a HALE Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) with extraordinary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, providing near-real time, high resolution imagery of large geographical areas both during the day and night, in all types of weather.

The Global Hawk has an endurance of over 24 hours and can operate at an altitude of 60,000 feet. The U.S. has extensively deployed it in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It has further been upgraded as the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance platform for the U.S. Navy.


:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::