NEW DELHI — India will test fly its Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile in February, a top defense scientist says. “Nirbhay is at a final state of integration and we hope to flight-test its capabilities, including stealth and accuracy, next month” says V.K. Saraswat, head of state-run Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Nirbhay will be launched from Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha, in eastern India.
FIRST OF TEN: Boeing has delivered the first of 10 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters destined for the Indian air force (IAF). India’s first C-17 will now enter a U.S. Air Force flight test program at Edwards AFB in Palmdale, Calif., a senior Boeing official said Jan. 23. India signed a $4.1 billion contract with the U.S. in 2011 to acquire the aircraft, making the country the largest C-17 export customer. The two governments finalized the Foreign Military Sales contract for the aircraft last June.
