India signs Rs. 1,943 crore deal for two MQ-9B Sea Guardian Drones: Here’s why it matters

The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for the Indian Navy for a period of 30 months.

IBNS • 17 Aug 2026, 04:30 pm

The contract is valued at approximately Rs 1,943 crore.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence, A. Anbarasu, at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi on August 17, 2026.

The MQ-9B Sea Guardian HALE RPAS is equipped with advanced systems, state-of-the-art sensors and sophisticated payloads designed to significantly enhance the Indian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) capabilities.

The systems will provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) coverage over vast areas of the maritime domain, strengthening India’s ability to monitor and respond to developments across the Indian Ocean Region.

The induction of the Sea Guardian platforms is expected to further bolster the Indian Navy’s surveillance capabilities and support its efforts to maintain enhanced situational awareness across strategically important maritime areas.