Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace has announced its most ambitious project yet, the FWD Supreme, an AI-piloted fighter jet concept designed to transform the future of aerial warfare, reported ET Defence.

The company revealed that the first flight of its technology demonstrator, FWD Supreme Lite, is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026.

The program is the first of its kind in India and places the country among a select group of nations such as the United States, Turkey and Germany that are actively pursuing AI-piloted fighter aircraft. These initiatives aim to redefine the future of air combat by integrating artificial intelligence into the very core of fighter jet operations.

Unlike conventional unmanned aircraft that rely on remote human pilots, FWD Supreme will be flown entirely by artificial intelligence. The system is being designed to incorporate advanced situational awareness, sensor fusion, autonomous decision-making, cognitive mission execution and next-generation combat capabilities. The aircraft will be able to perceive, analyse, decide and act in contested environments with minimal human intervention.

The concept is built around the Mobbing Doctrine, a new warfare philosophy envisioned by Suhas Tejaskanda, the founder and chief executive of Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace. The doctrine proposes deploying multiple AI-piloted fighter jets as a coordinated swarm against high-value enemy manned platforms.

By leveraging intelligent networking, autonomous decision-making and cost asymmetry, the doctrine aims to overwhelm enemy defences even if several aircraft are lost in combat. The surviving jets would continue the assault, forcing adversary fighters to retreat and altering the economics of air combat.

Tejaskanda explained that the future of air superiority will not be defined by a single fighter aircraft but by intelligent and adaptive combat systems working together at machine speed. This vision underscores the shift from traditional dogfighting to networked, autonomous aerial warfare.

The program is being developed indigenously at Flying Wedge’s Bengaluru facility. It is led by Girish Dixit, former secretary of the Aeronautical Development Agency and a control systems expert.

The team includes aerospace veterans such as V Subba Rao, former project director of the Light Combat Aircraft TEJAS program; G Radhakrishnan, an authority on airframe and structural systems; Mahesh Prabhakar Padwale, a propulsion and engine integration specialist; and R.S. Rao, an expert in avionics and weapon integration. Together, they bring decades of experience in fighter aircraft development and advanced defence technologies.

Two variants of the FWD Supreme are planned. The FWD Supreme Lite, weighing approximately 250 kilograms, will serve as the initial technology demonstrator and operational test platform, with its first flight targeted for Q3 2026.

The FWD Supreme Heavy, weighing around one ton, is designed for extended-range autonomous combat operations and can be configured for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, strike missions, collaborative combat and future air-dominance roles.

Performance objectives for Phase 1 include a maximum speed of Mach 0.9, a cruise speed of Mach 0.5 and an operational range of 700 to 1,000 kilometres depending on mission profile. The aircraft will feature autonomous take-off, mission execution and recovery.

The Phase 2 roadmap envisions supersonic performance approaching Mach 2, advanced AI-enabled mission autonomy, enhanced survivability with low-observable characteristics, expanded collaborative combat capabilities and multi-aircraft autonomous teaming.

This unveiling marks a significant milestone in India’s push towards indigenous, AI-driven defence technologies. The FWD Supreme program represents not only a technological leap but also a strategic shift in how future wars may be fought, with machine-speed decision-making and swarm-based aerial combat redefining air power.

Agencies