The Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) based in Bengaluru, is working with the United States Air Force Research Laboratory, to develop the Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV).
The ADE of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Aerospace Systems Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), which is headquartered at Ohio in the United States, are developing the drone that could be launched from a military cargo aircraft, like C130J or the C17.
The collaborative project is a part of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), which is aimed at bringing sustained leadership focus to promote collaborative technology exchange and create opportunities for co-production and co-development of future technologies for Indian and US military forces.
The Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defence inked a Project Agreement for co-development of the ALUAV, overseen by the Joint Working Group on Air Systems of the India-US DTTI. The agreement outlines collaboration between the AFRL, ADE, Indian Air Force and the US Air Force for design, development, demonstration, testing and evaluation of systems to co-develop an ALUAV Prototype.