The recently tested demonstrator has been designed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment. The technology demonstrator is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft. The demonstrator is equipped with low reflective cross-sections. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is powered by a small turbofan engine

New Delhi: Adding a step toward self-reliance in Defence, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden test flight of a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), an autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator, recently from the Aeronautical Test Range in Karnataka's Chitradurga. Unveiling the successful achievement of the technology, a DRDO official said, "In a major success towards developing unmanned combat aircraft, the maiden flight of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator was carried out successfully from the Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga, Karnataka on Friday, July 1."

What's Special About The Demonstrator

The technology demonstrator is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft which houses its payload and fuel in its main wings and does not have a defined fuselage-like structure found in conventional aircraft.

The design of the demonstrator makes it capable of delivering high fuel efficiency and stealth, if executed with precision, as demonstrated by some of the advanced bombers in the USA's arsenal like B-2 bomber.

The demonstrator is equipped with low reflective cross-sections which results in low radar signature, that means it cannot be detected easily. This feature of the vehicle makes it a stealth machine.

The aircraft also has very low drag or air resistance because of the shape. However, this unique design has some drawbacks related to its stability and thus requires additional systems.

The airframe, the basic mechanical structure of the aircraft and the undercarriage, the landing gear used for take-off and landing and the entire flight control along with avionics systems used for the demonstrator have been developed indigenously.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is powered by a small turbofan engine, which is an airbreathing type jet engine.

According to some reports, the UCAV will be named Ghatak (deadly) or Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft, however, the agency has not disclosed the name of the demonstrator so far.

Demonstrators Role In Future Building

According to DRDO scientists, this technology demonstration will go through additional testing to look at various technologies for the creation of future combat drones. Tests would also be conducted on the scale and capability of the vehicle. According to sources, the demonstrator is a precursor to an autonomous stealth Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) being developed by the DRDO. It is also said that a deck-launched version for the Indian Navy is in the pipeline. The UCAV will be capable of launching missiles and precision-guided munitions.

About The Developer of The Aerial Vehicle

The recently tested demonstrator has been designed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a Bengaluru-based facility of the DRDO. ADE is a key Aeronautical Systems Design House involved in the design and development of the state-of-the-art Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, flight simulators, pilotless target aircraft, flight control systems and air weapons.

The organisation has designed several Unmanned Aerial Vehicle including Nishant, a multi-mission Unmanned Aerial Vehicle launched using a Mobile Hydro pneumatic Launcher with Day/Night capability.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh applauded the achievement of DRDO and termed it a major step toward making India a self-reliant nation in terms of critical military systems. "Congratulations to @DRDO_India on successful maiden flight of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator from Chitradurga ATR. It is a major achievement towards autonomous aircrafts which will pave the way for Aatmanirbhar Bharat in terms of critical military systems," Singh tweeted.