India, US discuss aircraft carrier technology

A meeting of India-US Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology, where the two sides discussed plans for future co-operation, concluded here on Friday, an official statement said.

The two sides will now meet in the US early next year.

The meeting of the joint working group, set up under the auspices of the Indo-US Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI), was held from October 29 to November 3.

A 13 member US delegation, headed by Rear Admiral Brian Antonio, Program Executive Officer Aircraft Carriers, visited the Shore Based Test Facility at Goa, Naval Base at Karwar, INS Vikramaditya at sea, Mazagaon Dock Ltd and the Western Naval Command.

In the concluding session of the meeting on Friday, which was co-chaired by Indian Navy's Controller Warship Production and Acquisition Vice Admiral D.M. Deshpande and Rear Admiral Antonio, both sides acknowledged the significant achievements of the Joint Working Group so far.

A statement said the two sides "discussed plans for future co-operation under various aspects of aircraft carrier technology such as design optimisation, construction philosophy, trials procedure and project management".

A joint statement was also signed on Friday.

"The meeting marked yet another significant landmark in the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in the field of aircraft carrier technology," it said.

--IANS

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