Washington/Islamabad (TDI): New Delhi has signed an agreement with the US State Department on to buy 31 armed MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones, that could trigger a new-type of arms race in the region.
India’s defence ministry stated Tuesday that the deal follows talks that began in 2018.
This deal and acquiring high-tech drones is expected to necessarily increase India’s surveillance and intelligence capabilities, media reported.
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According to Reuters the significant increase in the capabilities of India’s defence system is in line with US efforts to keep India away from buying Russian military equipment and counter China’s growing dominance.
An official handout stated that India’s apex defence body approved the procurement last year just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington, while the Pentagon approved it in February.
At the time when the drones deal negotiations were going on, a report by Reuters suggested that these will be mainly used by the navy in the Indian Ocean Region.
In view of such deals, Pakistan had already acquired anti-drone technology to respond to its arch-rival, India’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). However, with this new deal in place now, Islamabad will definitely assess its capability in light of the new realities.
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The India negotiations with the US had already prompted Pakistan to acquire advanced UAVs, such as the CH-4 and Bayraktar Akinci, which can carry munitions for strike missions, from China.
China and Pakistan have sophisticated air defence systems that can limit the use of drones along India’s land borders.
Nevertheless, if such deals continue, it will have implications for a new-type of competitive built up of military capabilities in the region as China and Pakistan are considered long-time rival of ambitious India.
