Eyeing Drones, Aircraft Launch System Sales, General Atomics Opens Office in India

Eyeing to sell MQ-9B SeaGuardian Unmanned Aerial System, and electromagnetic aircraft launch and recovery systems (EMALS) for Indian aircraft carriers, General Atomics has announced the opening of a new office in New Delhi, India.

General Atomics is working with both governments (India and the United States) in an effort to provide India with a variety of systems and technologies supporting national defense, including MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, and EMALS for Indian aircraft carriers, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

Pratesh Gandhi will serve as Director of India Strategic Development with responsibilities for General Atomics in India. “We are looking forward to fostering new opportunities for collaboration to advance critical systems and technologies for Indian defense applications,” said Linden P. Blue, CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) Tuesday.

Gandhi is a veteran Naval Aviator with over 3,000 flying hours on a variety of aircraft, and has held flying, staff, and project office positions in the Indian Navy. He is also qualified in Flight Safety and Investigation. Gandhi has authored and edited books on naval aviation history, and is a contributor to military journals.

The SeaGuardian system provides wide-area, persistent, maritime surveillance with its surface-search radar and HD-video sensor. The aircraft’s collision-avoidance system and STANAG-compliant airworthiness pedigree allows safe operation in civilian airspace and in the Indian Ocean tropical weather zone.