India’s Loyal Wingman Program to flight-test by 2024

Indian aerospace agency Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) loyal wingman program will take to the skies for the first time in 2024, the developer told Janes.

The project, officially known as Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Warrior, began in 2018 and was exhibited during Aero India last year.

The air teaming system consists of a manned fighter jet serving as the “mothership” and a swarm of low-cost drones with payloads, sensors, and warfare capabilities.

The smaller drones fly ahead of their motherships and can be used as decoys to aid, identify, and overwhelm opposing air defenses or to divert attacks away from manned fighter jets.