DRDO successfully flight-tests high-speed flying-wing UAV
15 Dec 2023
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully carried out a flight trial of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator, an indigenous high-speed flying-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
The flight test was carried out from the Aeronautical Test Range at Chitradurga in Karnataka.
With the successful flying demonstration of this autonomous stealth UAV in the tailless configuration, India has joined the elite club of countries to have mastered the flying wing technology.
This UAV is designed and developed by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment.
The successful flight test comes after a series of six flight trials beginning July 2022, using two in-house manufactured prototypes. These flight-tests helped develop a robust aerodynamic and control system; integrated real-time and hardware-in-loop simulation, and state-of-the-art Ground Control Station, according to DRDO.
The team achieved success in the seventh flight-test in final configuration with optimised avionic systems integration and flight operations.
The prototype, with a complex arrowhead wing platform, is designed and manufactured with light-weight carbon composite material developed indigenously. The composite structure, impregnated with fibre interrogators for health monitoring, is also indigenously developed aerospace technology.
The high-speed UAV has autonomous landing capabilities and does not require ground radars for take-off and landing from any runway as the onboard sensor is linked with indigenous satellite-based GPS system, GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) receivers.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, armed forces and the industry for the successful flight trial of the system, stating that the successful development of such critical technologies will further strengthen the armed forces.
Secretary Department of Defence R&D and chairman of DRDO, Samir V Kamat, also congratulated DRDO and the teams associated with the successful flight-test.
