The Cabinet Committee on Security recently approved two high-profile deals for the purchase of 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) from General Atomics of the U.S. as well indigenous construction of two Nuclear Attack Submarines (SSN).
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Procurement of 31 MQ-9B UAVs
- Type: MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
- Purpose: For all three Indian services:
- 15 Sea Guardians for the Indian Navy.
- 8 Sky Guardians each for the Indian Army and Air Force.
- Cost: Estimated at $3.99 billion.
- Significance: The MQ-9B UAVs will enhance surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities across all services.
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Indigenous Construction of Two Nuclear Attack Submarines (SSNs)
- Project: Building of two indigenous SSNs (Nuclear Attack Submarines).
- Significance:
- Provides the Navy with unlimited endurance (limited only by crew endurance).
- Follows the success of India’s SSBN program (Nuclear-powered Ballistic Missile Submarines), with INS Arihant (2016) and INS Arighaat (2023) already in service.
- Critical for enhancing India’s naval capabilities.
- Past Context: India previously leased two SSNs from Russia.
India leased SSNs
- INS Chakra
- Leased from the Soviet Union in 1988 for three years, this Charlie-class submarine was armed with cruise missiles.
- INS Chakra II (Nerpa)
- Leased from Russia in 2012 for 10 years, this Akula-class submarine was armed with anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles and torpedoes.
- India returned the Akula-class Nerpa, another submarine leased from Russia, in 2021 due to maintenance issues.
- INS Chakra III:
- India has also signed a $3 billion deal with Russia to modernise the Chakra-3 submarine.
- India hopes to induct another Russian SSN into its fleet by 2026.
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Pending Deal with the U.S.
- Jet Engines: Local manufacturing of General Electric (GE) F414 jet engines by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk1A.
- Discussions about the UAV and jet engine deal delays were held during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to the U.S. in August 2024.
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About MQ9B Predator Drones
- Model and Manufacturer:
- The MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is a high-altitude, long-endurance drone
- It is developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI)
- Capabilities:
- Altitude: Can fly at over 40,000 feet, making it suitable for monitoring the Himalayan border areas.
- Endurance: Capable of staying airborne for up to 40 hours, ideal for long surveillance missions.
- Advanced Features: Includes automatic take-off and landing, object avoidance systems, secure GPS, and encrypted communications.
- Cost Efficiency: Provides 80% of a manned aircraft’s capabilities at 20% of the cost per hour.
Nuclear Attack Submarines (SSNs)
- Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarines (SSNs) are advanced maritime vessels that are powered by nuclear reactors and are primarily used for offensive operations.
- They are one of the two main types of nuclear submarines, the other being Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs).
- Facts about SSNs:
- Stealth: SSNs can remain submerged for extended periods, unlike conventional submarines that need to surface to recharge their batteries.
- Weapons: SSNs are equipped with a variety of tactical weapons, including torpedoes, anti-ship cruise missiles, and land-attack cruise missiles.
- Endurance: SSNs can operate underwater almost indefinitely, limited only by the crew’s food supplies.
- First SSN: The first nuclear-powered submarine was the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), which was commissioned in 1954.
- India has one nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the INS Arihant, which was commissioned in 2016, and India plans to commission its second, INS Arighat, in 2024.
- India has made progress in nuclear submarine technology through the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) program.
- India’s Arihant-class submarines are ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) that are part of the country’s nuclear deterrent.
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- SSN stands for “Submersible Ship Nuclear”
- SSBN stands for “Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear.
- SSK stands for “Diesel-Electric Attack Submarine“
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October 11, 2024
