General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has announced that MQ-9A Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), which it has supplied on lease to the Indian Navy, recently completed 10,000th flight hours in Indian service.
The Indian Navy has leased two MQ-9As from GA-ASI, and the 10,000 flight hour mark was achieved on 22 November, two years after the advanced unmanned aircraft made its first flight in India in November 2020. The MQ-9A is Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone.
Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI, said, “The Indian Armed Forces have been impressed by the MQ-9A’s over-the-horizon ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) support for surface units and Indian warships, as well as the exceptional endurance and operational availability of the platform. Our MQ-9As have helped the Indian Navy to cover over 14 million square miles of operating area.”
General Atomics is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable, remotely piloted aircraft systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems and the MQ-9As for India are provided under a Company-Owned, Company-Operated lease agreement.
The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain operate the sophisticated MQ-9As. The MQ-9A was designated “Reaper” by the US and Royal Air Force. The newer MQ-9B variant has been acquired by the UK and is on order with Belgium. In addition, Japan’s Coast Guard recently began operations with the MQ-9B ‘SeaGuardian’, which is a maritime surveillance variant.
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