Reliable sources told India Strategic that the Predator C requirement has been mentioned at a very high level during the current visit of the Indian Prime Minister. Now that India is getting into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), President Barack Obama will ask the State and Defense Departments to consider the Indian request.
Predator C is made by General Atomics Aeronautical System Inc. (GA-ASI), which has already offered an unarmed version, Predator XP, to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Navy for reconnaissance purposes.
The number of drones required by India is not known but the UCAV, also known as Avenger, will be operated by the Indian Air Force which in any case is also short of manned combat jets. In the troubled terror-infested environment around India, a combination of manned and unmanned precision strike aircraft and systems are an immediate necessity.
IAF had in fact asked the Indian Ministry of Defence for strike drones – or UCAVs – at least six or seven years ago.
Avenger is a further development of MQ 9 Reaper, which is extensively used by the US CIA to neutralise terrorists with precision strikes and minimum possible collateral damage.
Avenger has a turboprop engine, some stealth features, a highly sophisticated Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for reconnaissance and targeting, and can carry air to ground missiles like the Hellfire. It can be controlled from anywhere in the world through satellite connectivity.
Notably, although a strike drone like the Predator C has no onboard pilot, its operation requires a couple of people at the control station to monitor the target area, and then to command the machine to shoot after due verifications. The control pilot can also do instant Bomb Damage Assessment (BDA) to ensure the success of the mission.
Source: India Strategic