In the midst of increased tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India is now regularly using naval reconnaissance capabilities to improve its surveillance of China’s land borders, both to monitor troop buildups and infrastructure upgrades.
According to defence ministry sources, the Navy is deploying P-8I long-range patrol aircraft and heavy-duty Sea Guardian drones “when tasked” in response to the Army’s request for intelligence-gathering missions along the northern borders.
The P-8I aircraft of US origin and the Sea Guardians, both of which can provide ‘live feeds’ of high-resolution imagery with their electro-optic and other advanced sensors, supplement the ongoing use of satellites and the Israeli Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The naval platforms were used in both the western (Ladakh) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh) sectors of the 3,488-kilometre LAC. While India and China have kept around 50,000 soldiers each forward deployed in eastern Ladakh for the third consecutive winter, tensions in the eastern sector have risen further following a physical clash between rival soldiers on 9 December in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.
The P-8Is and Sea Guardians, designed for long-range ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions over the high seas, have proven quite effective in supplementing the Army’s information on the People’s Liberation Army, according to a source.
China has shown no desire to de-escalate and restore the status quo in eastern Ladakh as it existed in April-May 2020, instead spending the last 30 months strengthening its military positions and border infrastructure.
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The Navy currently has 12 P-8I aircraft, purchased from the United States for USD 3.2 billion, stationed at INS Hansa in Goa and INS Rajali in Arakkonam (Tamil Nadu) for ISR missions along the western and eastern seaboards.
The P-8Is are primarily designed to hunt enemy submarines and are equipped with Harpoon Block-II missiles, MK-54 lightweight torpedoes, rockets and depth charges. They have a range of 1,200 nautical miles and can stay on station for four hours.
The Navy also has two unarmed MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones, which are variants of the iconic armed Predators, on lease from US firm General Atomics beginning in September 2020. These drones have proven to be very effective in ISR missions over the Indian Ocean Region, with a maximum range of 5,500 nautical miles and an endurance of 35 hours.
India has also long planned to purchase armed MQ-9B drones from the United States. However, the proposed deal’s high cost of USD 3 billion (Rs 24,000 crore) for 30 drones (10 each for the Navy, IAF and Army) has prompted a rethinking of the number of drones to be acquired.
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