DRDO successfully carries out Maiden flight of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the Maiden flight of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator from the Aeronautical Test Range at Chitradurga in Karnataka.
With this success, India’s secretive unmanned combat aerial vehicle UCAV programme under which a technology demonstrator called stealth wing flying test bed (SWift) is being developed reached a milestone. The programme is linked to the development of India’s fifth-generation stealth fighter advanced medium combat aircraft or AMCA.
The flight operated in a fully autonomous mode. The aircraft exhibited a perfect flight, including take-off, waypoint navigation and a smooth touchdown. This aircraft is powered by a small turbofan engine. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO. He said, it is a major achievement toward autonomous aircraft and will pave the way for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in terms of critical military systems.
The Defence Ministry highlighted that the aircraft marks a major milestone in terms of proving critical technologies for the development of future unmanned aircraft. It said, this aircraft is a significant step toward self-reliance in such strategic defence technologies.
The Ministry said that Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bengaluru, which is a premier research laboratory of DRDO. It added the airframe, undercarriage and entire flight control and avionics systems used for the aircraft were developed indigenously.
