A high-altitude-long-endurance MQ-9B Sea Guardian drone that was taken on lease by the Indian Navy from the U.S. ditched into the Bay of Bengal off Chennai after encountering a technical failure on Wednesday (September 18, 2024). The drone was operating from naval air station INS Rajali in Arakkonam near Chennai, the Indian Navy said.

Capable of operating at an altitude of 40,000 feet, the MQ-9B UAVs have an endurance of 40 hours and a range of more than 5,000 nautical miles.

In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from American defence major General Atomics for a period of one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean.

"A High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft (HALE RPA) leased by the Indian Navy operating from INS Rajali, Arakkonam (near Chennai) encountered a technical failure at about 1400 hrs whilst on a routine surveillance mission which could not be reset in flight," the Navy said in a statement.

An MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone, leased by the Indian Navy, was ditched into the Bay of Bengal following a technical malfunction during a surveillance mission and has been deemed unsalvageable.

Incident occurred in Indian ocean where drone, controlled from Tamil Nadu naval base was deployed for reconnaissance

A US-leased MQ-9B drone operated by the Indian Navy crashes in the Bay of Bengal, raising questions about India's drone capabilities and ongoing defense negotiations.

The Indian Navy signed a contract with the US in 2020, under emergency provisions, to acquire advanced surveillance capabilities.