Indian Navy drone spies on Myanmar military activites on Coco Island

A MQ-9 drone rented by the Indian Navy was spotted reconnoitring the surrounding areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands amid recent claims of suspicious infrastructure developments in Myanmar’s Coco Islands. A report by India Today quoted open-source information to say that the likely “SkyGuardian” version of the drone conducted a four-hour long scan of the islands on April 12 just a few days after Myanmar’s top military official paid the adjacent Coco Islands a high-profile visit. Aviation records also show that a Fokker-70 aircraft from the Myanmar Air Force landed on the island on April 9. According to local accounts, it was reportedly carrying none other than General Min Aung Hlaing, the man in charge of the military takeover in 2021. “Officials need to take preventive measures against illegal fishing by violating relevant laws in the Myanmar waters,” the Tatmadaw General was quoted during his trip by local media. The visit of the top general in the Myanmar army to one of the most remote regions of the nation was simply described as a normal meeting with locals and government representatives that also involved erecting a modest victory monument. On Twitter, Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) accounts conjectured that the Coco Islands would have been included in the MQ-9 censors’ potential coverage area. Despite the fact that the drone was recognised by the aviation data aggregator Flightradar24 as the ‘Reaper’ version rather than the ‘SeaGuardian’ version, India does not currently fly this model of the drones. The precise model of the aircraft may differ from what was depicted on the flight tracking site, as India Today later learned from Flightradar24 that it was using a generic registration linked to the manufacturer. The Great Coco island, held by Myanmar, has seen increased building activity recently, according to a report by a U.K.-based think group. This island has long been believed to be China’s eyes and ears in the area. The islands are only about 55 km away from India’s strategically important Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The fact that Andaman and Nicobar are home to India’s sole tri-service command makes the scenario even more logical from the standpoint of national security in India. Since taking office, the Myanmar Junta has boosted cooperation with China, raising worries. Since the late 1990s, Indian government officials have highlighted concerns over China’s potential exploitation of access to the Great Coco Island. The powerful military leader’s recent low-key visit occurred as the vital islands are once again in the public eye. India was keeping an eye on the situation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier stated. When asked about the renovation of the military facilities on the islands, MEA spokeswoman Arindam Bagchi said, “India keeps a constant watch on all developments bearing India’s security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard the same.”

India’s MQ-9 drones monitor China’s naval activities

In response to rising Chinese naval activity over the past few years, India has leased MQ-9B SeaGaurdian drones to investigate border areas, particularly those near the Indian Ocean. In the midst of the border clashes between India and China in 2020, India leased two of these drones using the Company-Owned, Company-Operated (COCO) model. The same company also produces the MQ-9B SkyGuardian and MQ-9A Reaper models of drones. The US-based defence company General Atomics is selling its MQ-9A Reaper drones to India, who is now interested in buying them. These drones, known as “Reaper” by the U.S. and Royal Air Force (U.K.), have a payload capacity of 1746 kg, a flight range of 50,000 feet, a speed of 240 KTAS, and an endurance of over 27 hours. The drone also attracted a lot of interest when the US military released a video of it being shot down by two Russian SU-27 jets earlier this year. They are renowned for having the capacity to carry out several Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations over land or water. The MQ-9B SeaGuardian and MQ-9B SkyGuardian are best suited for operations over water and on land, respectively. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.