DRDO Ghatak

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Ghatak
A scaled down technology demonstrator of DRDO GHATAK ( SWiFT )
Role
Unmanned Combat aerial Vehicle
National origin India
Designer
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
First flight 1 July, 2022[1]
Status Taxi trials, autonomous take off and landing of technology demonstrator completed.
Primary user Indian Air Force (expected)
Number built 2 prototypes [2]

Ghatak (pronounced:

unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), being developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force.[3][4] The design work on the UCAV is to be carried out by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft (AURA) was a tentative name for the UCAV.[5][6] Details of the project are classified.[7]

The Ghatak UCAV will have an internal weapons bay for carrying

flying-wing concept, and will be powered by a turbofan
engine.

The first flight of a scaled down testbed was carried out in July 2022,[8] and that of a full scale prototype is expected in 2025.[9]

Description

The Ghatak is an

kilonewtons.[5]

The flight control system and data link packages of the UCAV will be developed inhouse by ADA and Defence Electronics Application Laboratory.[12] The Ghatak UCAV will be developed with public – private sector participation.[13]

In 2011, in an interview given to

DRDO's Chief Controller, R&D (aeronautics), Dr Prahlada said, "the UCAV will have on-board mission computers, data links, fire control radars, identification of friend or foe, and collision avoidance systems, they will be highly intelligent drones", he also added that "UCAV will be capable of flying at altitudes of 30,000 ft [9,144 m] and weighing less than 15 tonnes, will have rail-launching for the missiles, bombs and PGMs (precision-guided munitions) they will carry."[14]

Development

Project Ghatak

Project Ghatak was initiated as a successor to the 2009 AURA (Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft) programme. The AURA was a pioneer programme sanctioned in 2009 with a budget of

Landing Platform Docks (LPD).[17]

Stealth Wing Flying Testbed (SWiFT)

Successful maiden flight of SWiFT on 1 July 2022.

Development of a scaled down technology demonstrator of Ghatak UCAV, called Stealth Wing Flying Testbed (SWiFT), began in 2020.

NPO Saturn 36MT[15] or TRDD-50MT turbofan engine.[8]

The SWiFT UAV (technology demonstrator of Ghatak UCAV) took its maiden flight on 1 July 2022.[8] According to DRDO, the aircraft exhibited a perfect flight, including take-off, way-point navigation and a smooth touchdown while operating in a fully autonomous mode.[10] However, the aircraft flown in the video uses a vertical stabilizer which is otherwise absent from the design. This is possibly due to issues with the horizontal stability of the aircraft.[19]

The airframe, undercarriage and entire flight control and avionics systems used for the aircraft (SWiFT UAV) were developed indigenously.

GAGAN receivers, autonomous landing has been demonstrated to be possible from any runway with documented coordinates, negating the requirement for ground radars, infrastructure, or pilots.[20]

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Notes

  1. romanised
    :     ghātaka) meaning 'killer', 'deadly'

References

  1. ^ a b c Aroor, Shiv (2 February 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: Inside The World Of India's Most Secret Combat Aircraft Program". Livefist. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Modeled On US B-2 Spirit, India Joins Elite Group Of Nations With Indigenous, Hi-Speed, Flying-Wing UAV". The EurAsian Times. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  3. ^ "India to develop unmanned combat aerial vehicle". Hindustan Times. IANS. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  4. ^ "New Imagery Details Indian Aura UCAV". Aviation Week & Space Technology. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "India set to develop own stealth combat drones". The Times of India. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b Pubby, Manu (15 July 2018). "Government set to clear Rs 3,000 crore plan to develop engine for India's first UCAV". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  7. ^ "India developing unmanned combat aerial vehicle". India Today. 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  8. ^
    ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original
    on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "DRDO's stealth attack UAV back in focus as footage of demonstrator emerges". The Week. 29 October 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b Alex Philip, Snehesh (1 July 2022). "'Major milestone': India conducts maiden flight of unmanned aircraft demonstrator". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Indigenous Kaveri engine to power Unmanned Combat Aircraft". Business Standard. PTI. 30 July 2015. Archived from the original on 29 November 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  12. ^ Ghosh, Anirvan (17 January 2011). "We never had a single failure in 1,500 flights of Tejas: ADE". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  13. ^ Pubby, Manu. "Government set to clear Rs 3,000 crore plan to develop engine for India's first UCAV". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  14. ^ Pandit, Rajat (11 April 2011). "India quietly begins combat drone project". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  15. ^ a b c Hazra, Dipavali (2 July 2022). "DRDO takes major step towards developing unmanned combat aerial vehicles: Explained". TimesNow. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  16. ^ "DRDO Projects". Ministry of Defence. 3 February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019 – via Press Information Bureau.
  17. ^ a b Krishnan M, Anantha (10 January 2021). "ADE steps into new decade with planeloads of critical projects". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  18. ^ a b "DRDO initiates the trials of advanced stealth SWiFT drone". NewsOnAIR –. 23 June 2021. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  19. ^ Kadidal, Akhil; Parakala, Akshara (4 July 2022). "DRDO successfully test flies flying-wing UCAV". Janes. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  20. ^ Jaiswal, Arushi; Prasad, Manish (15 December 2023). "DRDO successfully conducts flight trial of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator". India TV News. Retrieved 15 December 2023.

External links

Technical:

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