Indian and US diplomatic officials confirmed to Hindustan Times that Washington has agreed to let India purchase the MQ-9 Predator B. New Delhi was cleared to buy the Guardian variant of the MQ-9, which is designed for maritime surveillance, however, was in favour of acquiring an armed drone which operates over both land and sea, especially given the costs involved.
Manufactured by General Atomics, Predator-B has both land and naval versions and can be armed with air-to-land missiles, anti-ship missiles and laser-guided bombs.
211216-N-QI061-1222 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (December 16, 2021) An MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19), sits on the flight line at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Dec. 16, 2021. VUP-19, the Navy’s first Triton squadron, will continue to maintain and operate the aircraft off the East Coast to further develop the concept of operations and refine tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan T. Beard/ Released)