India has signed a contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. for the lease of two additional MQ-9B SeaGuardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance remotely piloted aircraft systems for the Indian Navy. The 30-month agreement, signed August 17, is valued at ₹1,943 crore, approximately $200 million.
The additional Indian Navy MQ-9B SeaGuardian aircraft will expand the service’s leased fleet as it continues preparations for the future delivery of MQ-9B aircraft ordered under a separate procurement agreement.
Indian Navy MQ-9B SeaGuardian Fleet Expands
The Indian Navy currently operates two leased MQ-9B aircraft under a Contractor Owned Contractor Operated arrangement that has received multiple extensions.
The new agreement will add two additional aircraft, bringing the leased fleet to four MQ-9B HALE UAVs for a period of time.
The latest lease is expected to continue until India begins receiving MQ-9B aircraft ordered under its 2024 procurement agreement.
One of the two previously leased aircraft experienced a technical failure on September 18, 2024, and was ditched at sea off Chennai. A replacement aircraft was provided under contractual obligations by February 2025.
India Previously Ordered 31 MQ-9B Aircraft
India signed a contract with the U.S. government on October 15, 2024, for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian aircraft.
The planned allocation includes:
- 15 MQ-9Bs for the Indian Navy
- Eight for the Indian Army
- Eight for the Indian Air Force
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2029.
The foreign military sale notification estimated the overall package at nearly $4 billion and included potential armaments and equipment such as:
- 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles
- 310 GBU-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bombs
- AN/SSQ-62F sonobuoys
- AN/SSQ-53G sonobuoys
- AN/SSQ-36 sonobuoys
It remains unclear which components of the package India ultimately selected.
The two newly leased UAVs are expected to have a configuration similar to the aircraft ordered by India.
India also signed a contract with General Atomics Global India Pvt Ltd in October 2024 for performance-based logistics supporting the 31 aircraft through depot-level maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in India.
Maritime UAS Fleet Supports Long-Endurance ISR
The additional Indian Navy MQ-9B SeaGuardian aircraft are part of broader efforts to expand long-endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities supporting the service’s P-8I fleet.
The Navy previously operated the Searcher MkII UAV for 22 years before retiring the system in December 2024. Heron Mk1 aircraft also remain part of the fleet.
Other unmanned aircraft acquired or considered by the service include the Hermes 900, Heron Mk2 and TAPAS platforms.
Two Hermes 900 aircraft, manufactured locally by Adani Defence as the Drishti 10 Starliner, were ordered by the Navy. The first was delivered in January 2024.
The second was ditched at sea during manufacturer pre-acceptance testing in January 2025 and is expected to be replaced. Another Navy Hermes 900 crashed off Porbandar airfield during a training sortie in July 2026.
Reports in 2024 indicated that the Navy could order four indigenous DRDO TAPAS UAVs, although no order has been placed. The service also plans to induct the Heron Mk2.
Ship-Based UAV Capabilities Also Expand
The Indian Navy inducted eight Schiebel Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing UAVs in 2024 after first evaluating the platform in 2007.
The aircraft provide another component of the Navy’s unmanned aviation capabilities alongside its larger MALE and HALE platforms.
Indian infrastructure and defense company L&T and GA-ASI also entered a strategic partnership in October 2025 to manufacture MALE remotely piloted aircraft in India.
The companies have submitted a bid for a procurement program covering 87 MALE UAVs for the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy. The Indian Air Force is leading the procurement, with nine other companies and consortiums also under consideration.
The new 30-month lease will add two Indian Navy MQ-9B SeaGuardian aircraft to the existing leased fleet as the service continues expanding its long-endurance maritime unmanned aircraft capabilities ahead of deliveries under the larger 31-aircraft procurement program.
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