In a bid to significantly improve India’s so-called stand-off weapon competence, the Trump administration in the United States has somehow give consists of supplying a long fortitude high-altitude surveillance armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
This is also capable of hunting and destroying targets across seas and near the land borders too.
Indian and US diplomatic officials established to one of the leading media portal that the Pentagon’s decision to supply Predator-B drones to Indian military has been express and communicate via the various channels and that it is now up to the Narendra Modi’s government to take the final call that is based on the cost of India’s drone programme.
The matter was taken up seriously, at the official level meetings attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale, and defence secretary in Washington last month, they added further.
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.
Stand-off capabilities submit in order to give the ability to strike without fear of the defensive capabilities of the goal which set.
However, the Pentagon said regarding the sale of 22 Guardian naval surveillance drones to India, New Delhi was adamant that given the costs consists of; it was in favor of somehow having an armed drone which operates over both land and sea.
“Purchase of the Guardian drone through government to government route did not make sense as even if the unarmed drone identifies a hostile target over the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea, it will have to request for Boeing P- 8I Neptune (aircraft) to destroy the target. The time lag and effort is not worth the while. The Indian need is an armed drone which not only locates but hunts down the target,” said a senior Indian government official who said to be identified the same.
Somehow Indian is also tensed about the encryption keys to weaponized drone. In the effect, of the Indian national security planners are worried whether the US will also have control of the armed drones which can as per theories can create a massive jam them.
The US defense manufacturers have sent away this concern by saying that India can have an encryption key for the armed drone.
This question and the issue of the sale of the drones can come before the technical team of Office of Secretary of Defence (OSD) policy arrives in the Capital on May 3-4, 2018 in order to discuss the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) with Defence Ministry officials.
India needs to sign COMCASA and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for operating extremely advanced US defense platforms needed to secured communication and spatial equipment.
The Indian and US officials stated regarding the sale of armed drones that can also arrive at the period of the two-plus-two dialogue between external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The newly-appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis in Washington also join the same from the earlier month.
While Indian national security planners are happy with the US nod to armed drones, the cost, logistics, and maintenance of the UAVs which are somehow stopped due to divided command and control centers that needed of the round the clock combat vigil.
