DRDO creates history by developing India’s first successful Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India achieved major success in developing autonomous combat aircraft, the maiden flight which is a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator.
#DRDOUpdates | Successful Maiden Flight of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator@PMOIndia https://t.co/K2bsCRXaYp https://t.co/brHxaH7wbF pic.twitter.com/SbMnI5tgUM
— DRDO (@DRDO_India) July 1, 2022
The maiden flight took off from the Aeronautical Test Range located in Chitradurga, Karnataka on Friday, July 1, 2022. In a statement, DRDO states that the development of this autonomous combat aircraft is an essential step toward Atmanirbhar Bharat which is a vision of India’s Prime Minister to create a self-reliant nation for the future. The statement by DRDO says, “the flight marks a major milestone in terms of proving critical technologies which are used towards the development of future unmanned aircraft.”
The UAV is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bangalore, which is one of the research laboratories of DRDO that deals with Aeronautical key systems design.
According to the statement, the UAV is compacted with a turbofan engine, a variant of the jet engine. The maiden flight contains avionics systems, an entire flight control system, airframe, and undercarriage all other systems that are developed in India.
DRDO has further claimed that the aircraft contains several drones that can identify the target to which it can strike. The loitering munitions, a category of aerial weapon systems can be used to hit targets. However, the loitering munitions are still under development in DRDO labs.
India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO on their achievement in living the vision of the Atmanirbhar Bharat.
