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 in Karnataka’s Chitradurga .
In a statement, the DRDO said, “Operating in a fully autonomous mode, the aircraft exhibited a perfect flight, including take-off, way point navigation and a smooth touchdown. This flight marks a major milestone in terms of proving critical technologies towards the development of future unmanned aircraft and is a significant step towards self-reliance in such strategic defence technologies.”
Following the inaugural flight, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO. “Congratulations to DRDO on successful maiden flight of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator from Chitradurga ATR,” Singh tweeted.
He further called it a “major achievement towards autonomous aircrafts which will pave the way for Aatmanirbhar Bharat in terms of critical military systems.”
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy also appreciated the efforts of the teams associated in the design, development and testing of the system.
Here are the key points about Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV):
> The UAV is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru, a premier research laboratory of DRDO.
> It is powered by a small turbofan engine, said the New Delhi-headquartered agency.
> The vehicle’s airframe, undercarriage and entire flight control as well as avionics systems used for the aircraft have been developed indigenously.
