All this new capability being planned is very impressive but Cost Benefit analyses is also important
I mean a barrage of Pralay and Brahmos can also destroy enemy
Ground based Radars
HAL Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Program - Updates and Discussion
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All this new capability being planned is very impressive but Cost Benefit analyses is also important
I mean a barrage of Pralay and Brahmos can also destroy enemy
Ground based Radars
The American CCAs are expensive. Expected to cost between $30M and $35M in two increments.
The IAF is going for a far more capable system called FUFA in smaller numbers, unless something changes. While American CCAs are very small and could at best be powered by a single 16 to 18 kN engines in its earliest form, FUFA could end up with twin 25 kN engines, with afteburner as necessary.
So we are yet to see how this all plays out.
That's far more expensive and significantly less reliable. Missiles need to be used in conjunction with fighter jets. And CCAs are designed to enhance the fighter.
No amount of missiles can replace fighter jets. Plain and simple.
Twin muzzle serpentine intake, IWB with 2 SAAW bombs, EO/IR targeting system on the nose.
The Most Important Thing At Aero India 2025
February 7, 2025 / By Team Livefist
This is a difficult exercise, but if there’s one thing to look out for at the upcoming Aero India 2025 above all the aircraft, helicopters, drones, and systems on display, it’s the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) CATS Warrior, a stealthy loyal wingman-type armed drone at the cutting edge of Indian air power R&D. The uncrewed aircraft is slated to make its first flight later this year, but a demonstrator vehicle will be on display at the show at the Indian Air Force’s Yelahanka base starting Feb 10.
The CATS Warrior, intended to be similar in size and capability to the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, will be operated in collaboration with crewed fighter aircraft to conduct missions that include reconnaissance, strike, electronic attack and more, assuming the riskier aspects of such operations, allowing human pilots to be mission commanders.
Warrior is flagship element in a family of interconnected systems under HAL’s Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) program, which is also developing a cruise missile, close combat missile, swarm drones and a pseudo satellite networked around the Tejas (and later AMCA) combat fighters. The mock-up of the unmanned aircraft broke cover at Aero India show in 2021, but has been known to be on the drawing board since at least 2019.
Weeks ago, HAL unveiled a full-scale demonstrator of the Warrior, announcing that it had crossed a significant milestone by successfully conducting an engine ground run. The Warrior is currently powered by twin HAL PTAE-W turbojet engines, an upgraded version of the engine that powers India’s Lakshya target drones.
Things are moving fast, but the CATS Warrior already represents a significant leap forward in the country’s airpower modernisation efforts. “HAL getting back into the design game is key to resetting how we pursue aerospace in this country. In-house airframe, engine and avionics is how we get there,” aviation writer and author Angad Singh had said in a comment on X when the demonstrator was unveiled.
With its first flight scheduled for later this year and recent milestones in testing, the CATS Warrior should draw big interest from defence analysts, military planners, and global aviation experts. The Indian Air Force’s manned unmanned teaming (MUM-T) vision will involve both HAL’s CATS program as well as smaller focused AI-driven projects with private sector start-ups like NewSpace Research and Technologies (NRT). In fact the CATS program was initially believed to be a collaborative endeavour involving HAL with NRT, but Livefist learns that HAL is now pursuing CATS by itself. NRT is understood to be developing its own smaller collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) called Abhimanyu. Livefist will be reporting on that latter platform shortly.
NRT’s Abhimanyu CCA concept /Images via Raksha Anirveda
India’s fighter jet fleet is aging, and with squadrons depleting from the sanctioned 42 to just 31, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is in urgent need of force multipliers. Even as Indian planners look to shore up crewed fighter numbers through a combination of imports and domestic production of the Tejas Mk1A, the CATS Warrior will in the future bridge a gap that will become difficult to ignore.
Missions could include deep-strike missions, suppression of enemy air defenses using Indian-built Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAAWs) and reconnaissance and surveillance serving as an extended sensor platform to provide real-time battlefield awareness.
The CATS Warrior is intended to be 100% indigenous, developed by HAL as part of India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-Reliant India) initiative. When it matures, it will be also be a major milestone in India’s aerospace manufacturing.
What’s key is that HAL’s expertise in manned fighter aircraft is now translating into the realm of autonomous warfare, a key area for future air forces. HAL has had its share of troubles and criticism, and much of that still holds, but the tech-first approach that CATS Warrior seems to embrace will help India not just in combat, but also in exporting low-cost drone tech to friendly nations.
The concept of a loyal wingman — an autonomous drone working alongside a fighter jet — is reshaping modern air warfare. The U.S., China, and Russia are already developing their own AI-assisted UCAVs, including Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat and China’s Feihong FH-97. By unveiling the CATS Warrior demonstrator at Aero India, India is signaling that it is ready to compete with these advanced air forces.
With its first flight just months away, anticipation is at an all-time high. The world will be watching as India showcases what could be a revolutionary step in autonomous air combat — not just in terms of capability, but in terms of development and deployment cost.
The Most Important Thing At Aero India 2025 - Livefist
Thought I'll check with HVT to see if the plans have changed. He just replied today:
So yeah, a larger version of Warrior with HTFE-25 is being worked on.
Which means that a non-expendable 12 to 15m-class CCA in the league of the Ghost Bat/Airbus Wingman will eventually come. I doubt HAL would invest money into this unless they foresee a requirement.
They know that we won't be able to acquire VLO aircraft in sufficient numbers in the timeframe we need...that means we'll need a drone that can do at least some of those roles instead. That means a drone with sufficient range & payload capacity to strike a meaningful target AND be survivable enough to return, refuel & rearm so it can strike again & again.
Going where a Rafale or MKI won't be able to.
Best to believe it when we see it. Pretty much all of HAL's hobby projects have not delivered.
That program cleared by MoD. Parrikar said the order will be split between Pilatus and HAL 1.5 years before its first flight.
The aircraft shown in this promo animation video at the left side of Hangar partially covered by the door with some AAMs, and bombs nearby is supposedly that Larger variant of Warrior with HTFE-25
Shared in post no #69 of this thread : HAL Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Program - Updates and Discussion
HTT-40 was well into development by then, with HAL's own funding. Plus it was an uphill battle as a proven platform in the same category (basic turboprop trainer) was already bought in the form of PC-7.
CATS is largely going to be a cakewalk due to the nature of the program, which requires fleet-wide integration. A Western alternative offer for example, wouldn't be authorized to link up with our Sukhois, and vice versa. It'll become a kicchdi and inflate costs.
No other Indian agency except HAL is likely to successfully pursue something of this scale & succeed.
Yes, the usual uncertainties surrounding yet-to-be-sanctioned programs exist. But I'm just saying, it's not something to actively bet against either. That's all.
Incorrect. HAL developed the HTT-40 based on IAF's requirements. They finished the design, presented it to the MoD, and they accepted. It wasn't a hobby project. A hobby project is when a company makes up its own stuff without the existence of a forces-derived template and presents it to the forces. Like ATAGS is essentially a hobby project. Even SPORT was one.
CATS is one too. Neither DRDO nor the forces have asked for such an aircraft. They took the Abhimanyu requirement and added their own flair to it, like bigger size and addition of weapons like SAAW.
As for the CCA requirement, I'm not very sure if the IAF is actually seriously looking to emulate the USAF. While the CCAs provide mass, they don't work very well for stealth. And if they end up carrying weapons instead of only avionics, then we are looking at a very expensive system. Maybe France's actions in the near future will give us clues.
Anyway, even if we consider they are, it's an uphill battle for the HAL's version to win. IN chose ARKA, followed by IAF. And now IN has already chosen Abhimanyu, so it's very likely IAF will follow suit. Will Abhimanyu climb up the ladder to become a USAF class non-expendable CCA? I have no idea. But as a much smaller single-engine jet, it's definitely far more expendable than the Warrior. The actual goal of this program.
Another issue with CATS Warrior is its lower capability when compared to an equivalent system like the Valkyrie. Same dimensions and thrust, but it appears Warrior has a range of 1500 km vs Valkyrie's 5500-6000 km for essentially the same payload. So if the IAF asks for a Warrior equivalent system, it's going to have to be far more capable than its current offering in the same thrust class.
NRT's long range loitering munition is called "Seeshnag":Long range loitering munition:
It will come in 4 sizes. ranges varying from 15 km to 1000 km.
