Jane Edwards
The Indian navy has sent letters of request to the Defense Department to procure the General Atomics-built Predator B Guardian drone and electromagnetic aircraft launch system through a foreign military sales agreement with the U.S., the Indian Express reported Aug. 1.
India has asked DoD to provide the price for the procurement of 22 Predator B Guardian unmanned aircraft systems for surveillance missions and three EMALS catapults for integration with the navy’s second aircraft carrier, INS Vishal, that is due by 2028, according to defense magazine India Strategic.
Industry sources say the list price for the procurement of 22 units of Predator B Guardian UAS could be worth approximately $2 billion, the report said.
“As far as General Atomics is concerned, we will be opening an office in the Indian capital to assist both the governments as required,†said Vivek Lall, CEO of global commercial strategic development at General Atomics.
The Predator B Guardian drone is designed to operate for up to 27 hours at an altitude of 50,000 feet and has a Raytheon-built SeaVue maritime radar and Honeywell-made TPE331-10 turboprop engine.
EMALS works to launch aircraft from a carrier deck through electromagnetic energy-based propulsion, the report added.
