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The Indian Navy has leased two Predator drones from an American firm for carrying out surveillance in the Indian Ocean Region and it can also be deployed along LAC in eastern Ladakh.

Drone Details

• Sea Guardian, unarmed version of the deadly Predator series 
• The drones that can stay airborne for about 36 hours and can cruise upto a height of 40,000 feet could also be used for surveillance along India’s land borders including in Ladakh

Lease Details

• This is the first defence system that has been taken on lease under the new Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020
• 2 drones, flying with Indian Navy logo, are under the full operational control of the force and it will have exclusive access to all the information that the drone will capture.
• The only role of the American firm is to ensure availability of the two drones based on the contract signed.

Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020

• It allows the military to lease platforms and weapon systems which is aimed at saving valuable resources.
• The procedure aims to promote indigenous design and manufacturing of defence weapons in a time-bound manner.
• The first Defence Acquisition Procedure was promulgated in 2002. Since then it has been revised several times.

Source: The Hindu