Amid improving ties after the trade deal, India and the US are moving closer to signing an around USD 3 billion deal to buy six P-8I anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance aircraft to boost the Indian Navy’s capabilities to monitor its areas of responsibility.
The Indian Navy already has a fleet of 12 P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft based at Arakonam and Goa, from where they monitor areas along the eastern and western seaboards.
The proposal to buy the six new P-8I aircraft is expected to be taken up for clearance by the Defence Ministry in the near future, after which it would require a clearance by the Cabinet Committee on Security, defence sources said.
The Indian Navy's proposal for buying the six new P-8I aircraft has been under discussion for a long time, but the negotiations were stuck for a long time due to issues over price, they said.
The P-8I is the mainstay of the Indian Navy’s surveillance platforms and is used to strengthen its capabilities to monitor Chinese and Pakistani activities in the maritime zone.
The Indian Navy is also set to get a boost in its unmanned surveillance capabilities with the induction of 15 MQ-9 Sea Guardian high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance drones, which are expected to start arriving from 2029.
The Indian defence forces are also boosting their surveillance capabilities with the induction of 87 Medium Altitude Long Endurance drones, a significant number of which will be inducted into the Indian Navy.
Source: India Today