A calibration exercise involving pilotless target aircraft (PTA) fitted with a new engine, developed in collaboration with an Italian firm, has been planned this month. The tests are scheduled to be conducted from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Odisha coast. Defence sources said the air trial also features fighter aircraft Mirage 2000 which would be coordinated against the PTA. As part of the exercise, the fighter aircraft would fire short range air‐to‐air missiles at the tow body released from the PTA for the precision training purposes of fighter pilots. While the new engine of the PTA has been developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in collaboration with the Italian firm, the exercise would be conducted to test target location and precision firing capability of pilots of Mirage 2000 fighter jets of the IAF.
Source: Indian Express
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