Flat budget means Navy has fewer Sea Guardian drones, P-8I aircraft

Fewer Sea Guardian drones, P-8I aircraft to watch over the Indian Ocean

The Navy’s critical mission to watch over the Indian Ocean is being undermined by a capital budget that has declined on a real basis. Plans to buy a fleet of Sea Guardian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — commonly called drones — and more than double the P-8I Poseidon multi-mission maritime aircraft (MMAs) fleet have been pared down, say Navy planners.

India was planning to buy 22 Sea Guardian drones for the Navy, a purchase worth $2 billion. There was another $4 billion plan to expand the P-8I Poseidon fleet up to 28 aircraft, to build an adequate fleet of long-range maritime