Left: Image from the latest and 7th flight test
and (Right) image of its first test in July 2022.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully
carried out a flight trial of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator,
an indigenous high speed flying wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from the
Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga in Karnataka on 15 December 2023. “The successful
flying demonstration of this autonomous stealth UAV is a testimony to maturity
in the technology readiness levels in the country. With this flight in the
tailless configuration, India has joined the elite club of countries to have
mastered the controls for the flying wing technology”, stated DRDO.
This UAV is designed and developed by DRDO’s Aeronautical
Development Establishment. The maiden flight of this aircraft was demonstrated
in July 2022, followed by six flight trials in various developmental
configurations using two inhouse manufactured prototypes. These flight tests
led to achievements in development of robust aerodynamic and control system;
integrated real time and hardware in loop simulation, and state of the art
Ground Control Station. The team had optimised the avionic systems, integration
and flight operations towards the successful seventh flight in final
configuration.
The aircraft prototype, with a complex arrowhead wing platform, is
designed and manufactured with lightweight carbon prepreg composite material
developed indigenously. Also, the composite structure, impregnated with fibre
interrogators for health monitoring, is a showcase of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in the
aerospace technology. The autonomous landing of this high speed UAV, without
the need for ground radars/infrastructure/pilot, showcased a unique capability
demonstration, allowing takeoff and landing from any runway with surveyed
coordinates. This was possible using onboard sensor data fusion with indigenous
satellite based augmentation using GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN)
receivers to improve the accuracy and integrity of GPS navigation.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, Armed Forces and
the Industry for the successful flight trial of the system. He stated that the
successful development of such critical technologies indigenously would further
strengthen the Armed Forces. Secretary Department of Defence R&D and
Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat also congratulated the DRDO and the teams
associated with this successful flight trial.