India-US joint working group on aircraft carrier meets

India and US have signed a joint statement on cooperation in the field of aircraft carrier technology, after the second meeting of the Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Co-operation (JWGACTC), an official statement said on Friday.

The joint working group, constituted under the auspices of the Indo-US Defence Trade and Technology Initiative, held several meetings between February 15 to 18.

An 11-member delegation, headed by US Navy's Program Executive Officer, Aircraft Carriers, Rear Admiral Thomas J. Moore visited various defence and industrial installations in India including the Shore Based Test Facility at Goa, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi.

It also visited the first Indian indigenous aircraft carrier being constructed at CSL.

The concluding session of the joint working group was held on Thursday here with Indian navy's Controller, Warship Production and Acquisition, Vice Admiral G.S. Pabby, co-chairing it along with Vice Admiral Moore.

"During this meeting, various aspects of cooperation in the field of aircraft carrier technology were discussed and a joint statement was signed," the statement said.