The SPOT V3 VTOL UAV (pictured above) during the initial test flights

Indian firm CDSpace Robotics exhibited its new SPOT V3 fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at East Tech 2022, an event held in Kolkata by the Indian Army's Eastern Command on 7 and 8 July.

Piyush Negi, co-founder and chief product officer of CDSpace Robotics, told Janes that the SPOT V3 system is based on an indigenous design and is being developed in-house primarily for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) roles.

The UAV features a fuselage structure with a shoulder-mounted wing (with detachable outer sections), a V-tail configuration, a total of eight electric motors mounted fore and aft on four booms (two each attached to inner and outer sections of the wings), a chin-mounted gimbal sensor payload, and four landing legs.

The UAV, which has a wingspan of 4.5 m, is equipped with a single internal combustion engine, featuring electronic fuel injection, for horizontal flight. The engine, which produces 4 kW (5.5 hp) of power, also has an integrated generator to cater for onboard power requirements for avionics and sensors.