Subhechcha Ganguly 
Although China and Pakistan possess armed drones, the US MQ 9B drone is the next generation of strike capability because to its proven missiles and bombs.After the national security planners saw the unmistakable images of Chinese military capabilities across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) captured by the same drones leased to the Indian Navy following PLA aggression on East Ladakh in May 2020, their interest in purchasing US Predator MQ-9B armed drones increased.
The Indian Navy’s Boeing P8I multi-mission aircraft and the leased Sky Guardian (unarmed version of MQ 9B) drones provided India with actionable intelligence on the PLA’s military prowess, missile silos, rocket system deployments, and troop movements along the 3488 km-long Line of Actual Control. In the worst-case scenario, national security planners were able to surprise the PLA in addition to keeping it at bay thanks to this crucial knowledge during the counter-deployment.
