Military
Navy seeks US UAVs for ocean
surveillance
DINAKAR PERI
The Indian Navy has
earlier shown interest in acquiring six to eight of the maritime variants of
the US high altitude, long endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for
extended ocean surveillance. The drones have been upgraded as the MQ-4C Triton
maritime surveillance platform for the U.S. Navy, providing real-time
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over vast ocean and coastal
regions.
The Global Hawk has
been deployed by the U.S. in Japan, and the U.S. this week approved the sale of
four Global Hawks to South Korea. Australia and Japan too have expressed
interest in these drones, though Australia later backed out because of the high
price.
If the deal goes
through, it will be a huge force multiplier for the Indian military in carrying
out round-the-clock surveillance of terrorist movements across the border or
tracking suspicious vessels in the open seas. Apart from the UAVs, both sides
are also working to conclude final negotiations of the $2.5 billion helicopter
deal for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy lift helicopters,
sources said.
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