U.S. Drones to Help India Track Chinese Troops on Disputed Border

In the far reaches of the Himalayas, drones sweep across the sky on a high-priority mission for India: scouring the vast, rugged terrain below for Chinese movement along the border of the two countries. Until a few years ago, India relied largely on human patrols to watch the disputed boundary. But that was a different, less-fraught era of relations between the neighbors. A deadly 2020 confrontation between their security forces jolted New Delhi and cast a chill over ties, driving both sides to increase border deployments of troops, weapons and surveillance equipment. India plans to purchase upgraded MQ-9B drones in…