Indian Navy to get Bulk of Predator XP drones for Maritime Surveillance

[SR-91]

Indian and Us officials will soon start negotiation process for the purchase of 40 Cost-effective Multi-mission capable Predator XP drones for Maritime Surveillance and for Border Surveillance according to highly reliable sources close to idrw.org . India at present is negotiating for 22 Maritime variant of Predator XP drones manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical system and negotiation for the purchase of remaining 18 Predator XP for Border Surveillance will be discussed at a later stage . GA manufactured Predator Unmanned Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) series have clocked more than 3+ million flight hours over its various variant and can be used to track targets day/night, land/sea . Predator RPA’s have Automatic takeoff & Landing System (ATLS) and Predator XP is equipped with Lynx Multi-mode Radar which provides photographic quality imagery in all weather conditions and can be operated Day/night. Predator XP comes with Land and maritime radar modes along with Automatic identification System (AIS) . With 30+ hours endurance capability ,Predator XP will come as a major boost to India’s maritime surveillance capability which also boost of operating radius of 1000 nm said Defence Analyst Ranesh Rajan .

India is also keen to acquire 100 Jet powered Stealthy Avenger Combat drones from the Unites States with its official entry into MTCR Regime , India hopes Washington will be positive on India’s request but the sale of Avenger UCAVs will likely see protest from Pakistan .

idrw.org . Read more at India No 1 Defence News Website , Kindly don't post our articles on other copycat websites http://idrw.org/indian-navy-get-bulk-predator-xp-drones-maritime-surveillance-report/#more-99942 .

 

[SR-91]

Stealthy Avenger Combat drone

 

[egodoc222]

Way to go...!!
4million a pop....they are a good addition complement well with p8i!!
But Triton uav with its SAR would've been great....but it's damn expensive!!

 

[CorporateAffairs]

India's pride, neighbors (China) envy

 

[Ankit Kumar]

Way to go...!!
4million a pop....they are a good addition complement well with p8i!!
But Triton uav with its SAR would've been great....but it's damn expensive!!

That would be near 150 million USD a piece.

Compared to ~5 million USD for Maritime Reaper/Predetor XP.

One great advantage of Triton is its 15,000 kilometres + range , high service ceiling .

But I think getting this is better option for now.

 

[C130]

Way to go...!!
4million a pop....they are a good addition complement well with p8i!!
But Triton uav with its SAR would've been great....but it's damn expensive!!

theoretically just 3 MQ-4C is all you would need to monitor most of the Indian Ocean.

one in the air and one on the ground and one in reserve.

 

[egodoc222]

theoretically just 3 MQ-4C is all you would need to monitor most of the Indian Ocean.

one in the air and one on the ground and one in reserve.

I know they are good....but you are exaggerating!

 

[GR!FF!N]

theoretically just 3 MQ-4C is all you would need to monitor most of the Indian Ocean.

one in the air and one on the ground and one in reserve.

Not Exactly...

For constant monitoring,it'll require 1 P-8I with some 7-8 MQ-4C to secure Indian Maritime border.The key here is constant.MQ-4C has massive range,but of course it can't monitor Bay of Bengal from Gujrat Coast.It can fly that distance though.

40 Predator???Damn...

 

[SvenSvensonov]

I know they are good....but you are exaggerating!

He's really not. These are high-altitude, wide area surveillance platforms designed to keep tabs on a large swath of sea and traffic without needing an equally high volume of supporting assets. Their altitude and the power of their sensors allows them the capability to monitor large areas much the way older assets like the SR-71 or U2 could.

One in the air to cover the IOR, one on the ground getting ready, and one being maintained. Ideally you'd like more to ensure there's slack in the network, but three will do. With the systems on the MQ-4, a single Triton can cover the IOR itself.

As with the P-8I, for which the US barred access to certain systems, the US is unlikely to give clearance on everything we have, so indigenous systems or alternatives from European nations or Israel will be required. This could hamper the effectiveness of the MQ-4.

For the optimal operational usage, they should always be paired with other systems to form a network, but they can operate alone too, as the US is doing with them in the SCS and North West Pacific to survey Chinese assets and regional points of interest including North Korea and Russia.

Pairing the MQ-4 with orbital and coastal communications and ISR assets and linking them to surface and sub-surface ships and systems (like a SOSUS type array) would yield a more capable net to ensnare information of interest.

The Global Hawk and derivatives like Triton can do what a U-2 did (and still does), and you never hear about a cadre of them being airborne together. They act alone and from their high altitude vantage point and with their sensors, they can survey a vast area.

*For more info on the various U2 types and the equipment they carry here's a handy guide:

https://defence.pk/threads/a-handy-guide-to-the-u-2-spy-plane.349567/

Never hurts to have a few more then needed though, does it?

That way you'll be absolutely sure you can watch everything of interest.

...

The MQ-4C can stay aloft for over 24 hours at 55,000 ft (17,000 m) at speeds of up to 330 kn (380 mph; 610 km/h). Its surveillance sensor is the AN/ZPY-3 Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) X-band AESA radar with a 360-degree field-of-regard, capable of surveying 2,700,000 sq mi (7,000,000 km2) of sea (as well as shoreline or land), or 2,000 sq mi (5,200 km2) in a single sweep.

It's important to note that the US may or may not give India clearance for certain systems, so these figures may vary.

The Indian ocean is 70,560,000 km² - ten times the surveying area of a MQ-4, but you aren't going to be watching all of it, not the parts near Madagascar or near Antarctica, just the IOR which includes the sea around Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and critical straights to the East.

An MQ-4 can do that. A single MQ-4 can do that.

 

[Local_Legend]

Very Informative Post . Thank you