New Delhi, Aug 2026 : The United States has welcomed India’s decision to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian remotely piloted aircraft systems for the Indian Navy, describing the agreement as an important step towards strengthening maritime security and advancing the defence partnership between the two countries.
The US Embassy in India said on Monday that Washington welcomed the Ministry of Defence’s contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) for the lease of the two MQ-9B Sea Guardian systems.
“This capability will enhance maritime domain awareness and persistent ISR coverage across the Indian Ocean Region, advancing our shared commitment to a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific,” the embassy said in a post on X. It added that the United States looked forward to continued progress in the US-India defence partnership.
The Ministry of Defence announced earlier in the day that it had signed a contract with GA-ASI for leasing the two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems to the Indian Navy for a period of 30 months.
The agreement, valued at approximately ₹1,943 crore, was signed at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi in the presence of Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence, A. Anbarasu.
According to the Defence Ministry, the MQ-9B Sea Guardian systems are equipped with advanced systems, sophisticated sensors and state-of-the-art payloads that will significantly strengthen the Indian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) capabilities.
The remotely piloted aircraft are designed to provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) coverage over vast maritime areas. Their deployment will allow the Navy to maintain sustained surveillance across large stretches of the Indian Ocean and improve its ability to monitor and assess maritime developments.
The systems are expected to enhance India's capability to track activities at sea and provide timely information to decision-makers. Persistent surveillance will also strengthen the Navy's ability to identify emerging situations and respond more effectively to developments across the Indian Ocean Region.
The agreement comes amid growing emphasis by India and the United States on maritime security and closer defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Both countries have repeatedly highlighted the importance of maintaining a free, open and secure maritime environment in the region.
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian's long-endurance capability is expected to be particularly useful for sustained maritime surveillance, enabling the Indian Navy to maintain continuous coverage over areas that would otherwise require significant manpower and resources.
The US Embassy's endorsement of the contract also reflects the broader strategic dimension of the India-US defence relationship, which has expanded significantly in recent years through military exercises, technology cooperation and defence acquisitions.
With the induction of the two leased systems, the Indian Navy is expected to gain an enhanced surveillance capability that can support maritime domain awareness across the Indian Ocean Region and strengthen India's ability to monitor developments in its wider maritime neighbourhood.
(Disclaimer : The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
