Purchase of Military Cargo Aircraft from US
	15:51 IST

Lok Sabha A Letter of Request has been issued to the Government of United States in December, 2006 indicating the requirement of C-130J transport craft for the Air Force. However, no contract has been concluded for purchase of the aircraft. This information was given by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri Rabinder Kumar Rana in Lok Sabha today. UAV PROGRAMME Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programme for Military applications. DRDO has developed UAV, Nishant. After the user trial, Army has placed an order for 12 UAVs alongwith ground support systems, which is currently under Limited Series Production. DRDO is also taking up a programme for development of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV to meet the requirements of the three Services. European and Israeli companies have suo motu approached DRDO for undertaking joint development programme on UAVs. Preliminary presentations have been made by European and Israeli companies to bring out and demonstrate their capabilities on UAVs. Presently, DRDO is planning to undertake development of MALE UAV along with Indian partner only. However, if required, limited consultancy or joint development on certain key technologies regarding UAVs, may be undertaken with foreign companies. This information was given by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri in Asaduddin Owaisi Lok Sabha today. DM / RAJ