SOURCE: TIMES NOW
As Indian and Chinese troops remain face-to-face in Ladakh, India is buying more sophisticated American weapons, this time for the Navy.The Defence Acquisition Council or DAC, headed by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and including the three chiefs and the chief of defence staff is expected to clear a decision to acquire ten Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs during the forthcoming meeting on August 11.
These UAVs are likely to be the American Sea Guardian MQ-9 drone, far deadlier than any similar weapon system India currently possesses. The Sea Guardian can be in the air for about 14 hours with its complement of air-to-ground missiles and laser-guided bombs amounting to a little less than 2,000 kg. It has a range of nearly 2,000 km or about 1,000 nautical miles. Very few countries outside the USA and its NATO allies have the Sea Guardian. Being a drone, it doesn’t have a pilot, but is guided from the ground.
The DAC is also expected to clear the following:
• The purchases of Super Rapid Gun Mounts. These are medium-range anti-ship and anti-aircraft guns with 76mm shells.
• The strategic partner for building the Naval Utility Helicopter. This is a deal for 111 choppers to replace the Chetak and several foreign manufacturers are in the race. It is a Rs 20,000 crore deal that has been stuck for a considerable while.
• The refit of INS Sindhughosh, a Russian-made submarine the Navy had acquired in the mid-Eighties. The 35-year old vessel, survivor of a collision with a merchant ship and a fire, will be going to Russia for the refit.
