US Official Visits Indian Navy Base To Ensure Credible Defense Cooperation

The US Embassy staff visited a key Indian Navy base operating leased MQ-9 RPAS, highlighting the alliance between two nations for credible defense cooperation.         

Underlining the significance of the established synergy between India and the US state and building credible defense cooperation, United States officials have visited a key Indian Navy base. The base radically operates leased American Predator drones.  On account of the visit, a distinct briefing of the capabilities of remotely piloted aircraft and its various sensors was carried out by the Indian Navy to US Embassy Staff. Alongside, their crucial roles in aiding Indian Navy surveillance tasking, maintenance, and logistical support, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) were also explained.

Vivek Lall, The Chief Executive of General Atomic Corporation stated that the significance of the visit was in highlighting the close synergy existing between both nations for much credible defense coordination and in maintaining peace in the Indian Ocean Region.

The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) manufactured MQ-9 (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) has been leased out by India for nearly 2 annual periods. Following the visit, Raghavan Srinivasan, Commercial Attach, US Embassy New Delhi expressed his pleasure and interest in the collaboration between the Indian Navy and GA-ASI. He also mentioned that as a proven ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) platform, the Indian Navy has leveraged MQ-9 on an effective note.

Despite the tempo of operations and pressures of long-time maritime surveillance, the comradeship between the Indian Navy personnel and GA-ASI crew is highly evident in the current scenario. The GA-ASI are the manufacturers of the world’s most advanced RPAS, highly equipped with cutting-edge technology, and are operated through a complex ground system of interconnected control stations and operational centers.

Thus, the MQ-9s are supplied to India via GA-ASI as a critical part of the Company-Owned, Company-Operated (COCO) lease agreement, lest concealing the units leased to the country. GA-ASI is the leading global manufacturer of RPA systems, radars, electro-optic, and related mission systems solutions. The MQ-9s are operated by the United States, the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, where the new variant of GA-ASI has been acquired by the United Kingdom.