India, US to develop air-launched UAV

• India and the US have signed an agreement for cooperation in the development of Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV).
• This will be a new step in further expansion of bilateral defence and military cooperation.
• In a statement, the defence ministry said that the Project Agreement (PA) for ALUAV was signed on 30 July this year under the overall framework of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).

Project Agreement (PA)

• The PA for the ALUAV is part of the RDT&E (Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation ) Memorandum of Agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defense.
• The agreement was signed in January 2006 and was renewed later in January 2015.
• The agreement is a key step toward strengthening defence technology cooperation between the two countries through joint defence equipment development.

PA outlines

• The PA outlines the Air Force Research Laboratory, Indian Air Force, and Defence Research and Development Organization’s collaboration to design, develop, demonstrate, test, and evaluate technologies in order to co-create an ALUAV prototype.
• PA is carried out by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) at DRDO and the Aerospace Systems Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), as well as executed by the Indian and US Air Forces.

Aim of DTTI

• The major goal of the DTTI is to maintain a consistent leadership focus on collaborative technology exchange and prospects for co-production and co-development of future technologies for both military forces.
• Joint Working Groups on land, marine, aviation and aircraft carrier technologies have been formed under DTTI to concentrate on mutually agreed-upon initiatives in their respective areas.
• The Joint Working Group on Air Systems oversaw the PA for ALUAV co-development, which is a significant achievement for DTTI.