India for 31 MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft

The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of India of MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $3.99 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of India has requested to buy thirty-one (31) MQ-9B Sky Guardian aircraft; one hundred sixty-one (161) Embedded Global Positioning & Inertial Navigation Systems (EGIs); thirty-five (35) L3 Rio Grande Communications Intelligence Sensor Suites; one hundred seventy (170) AGM-114R Hellfire missiles; sixteen (16) M36E9 Hellfire Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM); three hundred ten (310) GBU-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bombs (LSDB); and eight (8) GBU-39B/B LSDB Guided Test Vehicles (GTVs) with live fuzes. Also included are Certifiable Ground Control Stations; TPE-331-10-GD engines; M299 Hellfire missile launchers; KIV-77 cryptographic appliques and other Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) equipment; KOR-24A Small Tactical Terminals (STT); AN/SSQ-62F, AN/SSQ-53G, and AN/SSQ-36 sonobuoys; ADU-891/E Adapter Group Test Sets; Common Munitions Built-In-Test (BIT) Reprogramming Equipment (CMBRE); GBU-39B/B tactical training rounds, Weapons Load Crew Trainers, and Reliability Assessment Vehicles-Instrumented; Portable Pre-flight/Post-flight Equipment (P3E); CCM-700A encryption devices; KY-100M Narrowband/wideband terminals; KI-133 cryptographic units; AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders; Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders; ROVER 6Si and TNR2x transceivers; MR6000 ultra high frequency (UHF) and very high frequency (VHF) radios; Selex SeaSpray Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) surveillance radars; HISAR-300 Radars; SNC 4500 Auto Electronic Surveillance Measures (ESM) Systems; SAGE 750 ESM systems; Due Regard Radars (DRR); MX-20 Electro-Optical Infrared (EO-IR) Laser Target Designators (LTDs); Ku-Band SATCOM GAASI Transportable Earth Stations (GATES); C-Band Line-of-Sight (LOS) Ground Data Terminals; AN/DPX-7 IFF transponders; Compact Multi-band Data Links (CMDL); initial spare and repair parts, consumables, accessories, and repair and return support; secure communications, precision navigation, and cryptographic equipment; munitions support and support equipment; testing and integration support and equipment, etc. The estimated total cost is $3.99 billion.

Photo: GA-ASI

Photo: Indian Navy

Drishti 10/Hermes 900 officially unveiled

The Drishti 10/Hermes 900 Starliner MALE UAV at Vibrant Gujrat Summit made a big entry on 10 January 2024. As of now, two each for Indian Army and Indian Navy have been contracted for. These RPAS are being jointly manufactured by Adani Defence and Elbit Systems of Israel.  Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy recently told Vayu Aerospace Review that Bharatiya Nausena had contracted for supply of two Hermes 900 Starliner MALE RPAS. These RPAS would be manufactured in India under ToT with Elbit with 60% indigenous content; RPAs to be inducted in the Indian Navy by February 2024.

Drishti 10 in first official flight

According to the Indian Navy, “in a significant step towards Make In India, indigenous Remotely Piloted Aircraft Drishti 10, manufactured by Adani Defence, undertook its maiden flight on 9 February 2024 further augmenting maritime surveillance capability of Indian Navy”.

DRDO’s flight trials of ‘Abhyas’

Four flight trials of High speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) Abhyas were successfully carried out by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha during 30 January to 2 February 2024. The trials were conducted with four different mission objectives in a revised robust configuration using a single booster designed by Advanced Systems Laboratory, Hyderabad to provide reduced launch acceleration.

DroneAcharya wins Indian Army tender

As the global landscape witnesses an increased reliance on Drone technology in defence operations, “DroneAcharya Aerial Innovations Limited stands at the forefront of India's commitment to building aerially capable defence forces”. In a significant development, the company has secured a Defence Tender worth INR 11,80,000 to conduct advanced drone pilot training and GIS (Geographic Information System) training for 20 officers from the Northern Command Pre-Induction Training School at Bhalra, Jammu and Kashmir.

Spirit AS and Garuda Aerospace partnership

Spirit Aeronautical Systems, a leading Greek manufacturer specialising in rotary and fixed wing weaponised drones, and Garuda Aerospace, a prominent Indian manufacturer of drones for civil applications, have entered a strategic partnership through countersigned contracts of cooperation. The core objectives of this partnership include expanding market reach, fostering innovation, and facilitating the exchange of technology, experience and best practices.