Aero India 2021: HAL puts on show lethal new warfighting system

The concept, which has multiple components, was presented by HAL to the IAF at the end of 2019

Departing from the public sector tradition of unimaginative and shabby exhibition displays, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is enthralling the attendees of Aero India 2021 with a glitzy, laser-lit, full-scale mock-up that shows how the Indian Air Force (IAF) will fight the wars of the future.

The highlight of HAL’s display is the Combat Air Teaming System (CATS), a combination of manned and unmanned systems that will operate in wartime in tandem, reinforcing each other’s strengths and compensating for the other’s vulnerabilities.

This new concept moves on from the current practice of groups of manned fighter aircraft entering enemy airspace and, with each