According to a member of the US government delegation at Aero India 2023, a prototype of the Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV) built jointly by India and the US will likely be flight tested later this year.
Speaking to reporters on the eve of the air show, Major General Julian C. Cheater, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, International Affairs said, “There is certainly some progress with respect to the ALUAV, this project arrangement was signed last year and we are expecting to conduct flight testing as early as the fall [September-November] of 2023. “Flight testing will take place at a range in northern India as well as in the United States,” stated Major General Cheater.
The Indian Ministry of Defence and the United States Department of Defense signed a Project Agreement for ALUAV in 2021 as part of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative’s Joint Working Group Air Systems (DTTI).
The Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) in Bengaluru and the Aerospace Systems Directorate of the United States Air Force Research Laboratory, as well as the Indian and United States Air Forces, are the primary organisations for project execution.
The ALUAV is being built to be launched from an aeroplane, and Major General Cheater has stated that it will be launched from a C130J.
“We will develop sensors on the package and we think that this particular UAV would most likely be launched from the C130J aircraft. This is a seven-year project agreement. It is a long-term deal that also includes technology transfer, which is a significant step forward in the two countries’ relationship,” Major General Cheater said.
A member of the group stated that if the United States’ F-35 stealth fighter participates in Aero India 2023, it will be the most advanced aircraft in the airshow.
“With regard to the F-35, if they are going to come to this air show… it would be the most sophisticated fighter in the world. We already have two F-18s on the ground, as well as two F-16 Vipers, and you should keep your eyes on the skies and keep an eye out for the rest of the week for the other aircraft that will arrive later,” said Rear Admiral Michael Baker, senior defence official and defence attaché at the United States Embassy in New Delhi.
Aero India is a biennial air show and aviation exhibition hosted at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru, India. It is organised by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Exhibition Organisation. Aero India is Asia’s largest aviation show.
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