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India has begun limited production of an indigenously developed pilotless target aircraft for the armed forces, Minister of State for Defence UV Krishnam Raju said on Friday.
"The Defence Research and Development Organisation is executing orders for Lakshya - the country's first pilotless target aircraft, for the air force, navy and the army under a limited series production," Raju told the Rajya Sabha.
Recent reports had said that Israel, considered a pioneer in the development of pilotless aircraft, had expressed an interest in the Lakshya.
"Negotiations are being held with the air force for 10 years' orders for the system," Raju said in a written reply to a question.
The DRDO also planned to transfer technology for the Lakshya to the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for manufacturing the aircraft.
The Lakshya system was developed over a period of 14 years. The development of this system was completed in 1994.
Meanwhile, Raju said the mere acquisition of simulators for combat aircraft and helicopters would not bring down the number of crashes involving the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s ageing MIG-21 aircraft.
The purchase of simulators from various sources is at the planning stage, he said.
"However, it may be incorrect to presume that induction of simulators would directly bring about a major reduction in the number of MIG-21 crashes. It helps pilots to react better in emergency situations," Raju said.
"Simulators enhance the training and proficiency levels. The feasibility of few types of simulators has been tested."
The IAF has lost more than 100 MiG-series aircraft, most of them ageing MiG-21s, over the past five years. More than 50 pilots have been killed in these accidents.
Indo-Asian News Service
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