UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — MoD inks contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc for leasing of two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems for Indian Navy for 30 months
Q1. The MQ-9B Sky Guardian/Sea Guardian systems contracted for India's armed forces are built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. With regard to their long-term sustainment, which one of the following statements is correct?
- A. A separate contract was concluded with General Atomics Global India Pvt Ltd for Performance Based Logistics through depot-level Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul carried out in India
- B. All depot-level maintenance must necessarily be performed at the manufacturer's own facilities in the United States for the entire life of the aircraft
- C. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited was designated the exclusive depot-level Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul agency for the entire fleet under a separate contract
- D. Sustainment is covered wholly within the main Foreign Military Sale case, so no separate logistics contract of any kind was required to be signed
Q2. In the tri-services acquisition of 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance RPAS approved for India, which variant accounts for the larger number of aircraft, and how many?
- A. Sky Guardian — 16 aircraft
- B. Sea Guardian — 16 aircraft
- C. Sky Guardian — 15 aircraft
- D. Sea Guardian — 15 aircraft
Q3. In India's defence capital procurement process, the expression 'Acceptance of Necessity' (AoN) denotes which one of the following?
- A. The approval accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council which permits a capital acquisition proposal to move forward into the procurement process
- B. The final government-to-government price agreement, after which no further commercial negotiation on the equipment is permitted at any stage
- C. The certification issued after delivery confirming that the indigenous content stipulated for the category has been fully achieved in every deliverable
- D. The clearance of the Cabinet Committee on Security which itself constitutes the signed contract and dispenses with any separate acquisition approval
Q4. With reference to India's acquisition of 31 MQ-9B High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, consider the following:
1. The Acceptance of Necessity for the acquisition was accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council in June 2023.
2. The equipment is being obtained through the Foreign Military Sale route, under which a Letter of Offer and Acceptance is concluded between the US Government and India's Ministry of Defence.
3. An estimated cost of about 3,072 million US dollars for the proposal was indicated to India by the US Government.
4. The cost figure conveyed by the US Government is a firm and final price binding on both sides and is not open to negotiation by India.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- The Acceptance of Necessity for the acquisition was accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council in June 2023.
- The equipment is being obtained through the Foreign Military Sale route, under which a Letter of Offer and Acceptance is concluded between the US Government and India's Ministry of Defence.
- An estimated cost of about 3,072 million US dollars for the proposal was indicated to India by the US Government.
- The cost figure conveyed by the US Government is a firm and final price binding on both sides and is not open to negotiation by India.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2 and 4
Q5. Which one of the following is the Indian Navy establishment, commissioned in 2025, that exists principally to support the Navy's information and communication centres underpinning its command, control and Maritime Domain Awareness framework?
- A. INS Aravali, Gurugram
- B. INS Kattabomman, Vijayanarayanam
- C. INS Rajali, Arakkonam
- D. INS Dwarka, Okha
Q6. Consider the following statements about the Indian Navy's maritime domain awareness and aerial surveillance architecture:
1. The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region was established at Kochi and does not host liaison officers of partner nations.
2. The National Maritime Domain Awareness project is being implemented under a contract signed by the Indian Navy with Bharat Electronics Limited.
3. The Acceptance of Necessity accorded for leasing a High Altitude Long Range RPAS for the Indian Navy cites continuous Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and credible Maritime Domain Awareness over the Indian Ocean Region as its purpose.
4. The Rotary Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial Systems inducted by the Navy are operated only from shore stations and are not integrated on fleet ships.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region was established at Kochi and does not host liaison officers of partner nations.
- The National Maritime Domain Awareness project is being implemented under a contract signed by the Indian Navy with Bharat Electronics Limited.
- The Acceptance of Necessity accorded for leasing a High Altitude Long Range RPAS for the Indian Navy cites continuous Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and credible Maritime Domain Awareness over the Indian Ocean Region as its purpose.
- The Rotary Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial Systems inducted by the Navy are operated only from shore stations and are not integrated on fleet ships.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q7. Under the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, which introduced Leasing as a category of acquisition, leasing is permitted under how many categories?
- A. One — leasing is permitted only where the lessor is necessarily a global entity, since no Indian entity may own such assets
- B. Two — Lease (Indian), where the lessor is an Indian entity owning the assets, and Lease (Global), where the lessor is a global entity
- C. Three — Lease (Indian), Lease (Global) and Lease (Strategic), the last covering all inter-governmental leasing arrangements
- D. Four — one category corresponding to each of the three Services and a fourth for all tri-service leasing proposals
Q8. Consider the following statements comparing the acquisition routes used for India's High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems:
1. Leasing was introduced as a category of acquisition in addition to the existing 'Buy' and 'Make' categories, to substitute large initial capital outlays with periodical rental payments.
2. The 31 MQ-9B RPAS for the three Services are being obtained through outright purchase on the Foreign Military Sale route, whereas the HALE RPAS proposal cleared for the Indian Navy in December 2025 is a lease.
3. The Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 came into effect from 1 April 2021 and replaced the Defence Procurement Procedure of 2013.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Leasing was introduced as a category of acquisition in addition to the existing 'Buy' and 'Make' categories, to substitute large initial capital outlays with periodical rental payments.
- The 31 MQ-9B RPAS for the three Services are being obtained through outright purchase on the Foreign Military Sale route, whereas the HALE RPAS proposal cleared for the Indian Navy in December 2025 is a lease.
- The Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 came into effect from 1 April 2021 and replaced the Defence Procurement Procedure of 2013.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. The India–United States Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), under which co-development and co-production of emerging defence technologies is pursued, is steered at the level of which one of the following?
- A. The National Security Advisors of the two countries
- B. The Foreign and Defence Ministers meeting in the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue
- C. The Defence Secretaries meeting in the Defence Policy Group
- D. The Commerce Ministers meeting in the Trade Policy Forum
Q10. Which one of the following India–United States defence and technology instruments is the most recent to have been concluded?
- A. The framework for the US–India Major Defence Partnership signed in October 2025
- B. The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on geospatial cooperation
- C. The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement
- D. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement
Q11. India's indigenous TAPAS Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned aerial vehicle has been designed and developed by which one of the following DRDO laboratories?
- A. Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru
- B. Aeronautical Development Agency, Bengaluru
- C. Defence Avionics Research Establishment, Bengaluru
- D. Gas Turbine Research Establishment, Bengaluru
Q12. Consider the following statements regarding the classification of unmanned aerial platforms associated with the Indian armed forces:
1. The MQ-9B Sky Guardian/Sea Guardian is officially described in India's acquisition documents as a High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System.
2. TAPAS-BH is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned aerial vehicle with an operating altitude of about 30,000 feet.
3. TAPAS-BH has an endurance of about 40 hours and is intended to meet the ISTAR requirements of the three Services.
4. The Rotary Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial System inducted by the Indian Navy is a High Altitude Long Endurance platform.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- The MQ-9B Sky Guardian/Sea Guardian is officially described in India's acquisition documents as a High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System.
- TAPAS-BH is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned aerial vehicle with an operating altitude of about 30,000 feet.
- TAPAS-BH has an endurance of about 40 hours and is intended to meet the ISTAR requirements of the three Services.
- The Rotary Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial System inducted by the Indian Navy is a High Altitude Long Endurance platform.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 4