News Brief
India, US Sign Project Agreement For Co-Development Of Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Flags of the United States and India (Manpreet Romana/AFP via Getty Images)
India and United States have signed a Project Agreement (PA) for Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV), an official release said on Friday (3 September).
The pact was signed under the Joint Working Group Air Systems in the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) on 30 July, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday.
"The agreement was signed by the co-chairs of the Joint Working Group Air Systems under DTTI, Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Plans Air Vice Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari from the Indian Air Force and Director, Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate Brigadier General Brian R. Bruckbauer from the US Air Force," the ministry said in the release.
The agreement for ALUAV falls under the research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E) Memorandum of Agreement between Ministry of Defence and US Department of Defence, which was first signed in January 2006 and renewed in January 2015.
According to the ministry, the agreement is a significant step towards deepening defence technology collaboration between the two nations through co-development of defence equipment.
Under DTTI, Joint Working Groups on land, naval, air, and aircraft carrier technologies have been established for focus on mutually agreed projects in respective domains.
The agreeement for co-development of ALUAV has been overseen by the Joint Working Group on Air Systems and is a major accomplishment for DTTI, it added.
The pact outlines the collaboration between Air Force Research Laboratory, Indian Air Force, and Defence Research and Development Organisation towards design, development, demonstration, testing and evaluation of systems to co-develop an ALUAV Prototype.
The Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) at DRDO and the Aerospace Systems Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), along with the Indian and US Air Forces, are the principal organisations for execution of pact, the ministry said.
