New Delhi: In another step towards building a stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) and eventually a larger remotely-piloted strike aircraft (RPSA), India conducted a flight trial of the ‘autonomous flying-wing technology demonstrator’ from the aeronautical test range at Chitradurga in Karnataka on Friday.

On December 15, 2023, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-flew an indigenously built high-speed stealth flying-wing UAV. The flight trial was a step towards building a stealth UCAV and remotely-piloted strike aircraft (RPSA).

The flight trial also marked India's entry into the group of countries that have mastered the controls for flying wing technology in tailless configuration.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft that carries no human pilot or passengers. UAVs can be fully or partially autonomous but are more often controlled remotely by a human pilot.

“The successful flying demonstration of this autonomous stealth UAVis a testimony to the maturity in technology readiness levels in the country.

With this flight in the final tailless configuration, India has joined the elite club of countries to have mastered the controls for the flying-wing technology,” the defence ministry said.

Designed and developed by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), the high-speed flying-wing UAV -- which weighs over a ton -- will lead to a major project to develop the RPSA in the years ahead, sources told TOI.

“The critical technologies involved have been proven in the improved final configuration now. The RPSA project, after the government sanctions it, will involve scaling up the size and the dimensions of the UAV with a new aero-engine,” a source said.

The ADE’s has been focusing on developing “stealthy” drones and aircraft, with a reduced radar cross-section to evade hostile air defence systems, which have autonomous take-off and landing capabilities. “The priority has to be on NGAD (next-generation air dominance) like the US and a few other countries,” he said.

After its maiden flight was conducted in July 2022, six flight trials of the flying-wing UAV with two prototypes in various developmental configurations have been carried out.

These flight-tests have led to the development of a robust aerodynamic and control system, integrated real-time and hardware-in-loop simulation, and state-of-the-art ground control station. “The development team optimized the avionic systems, integration and flight operations towards the successful seventh flight in the final configuration on Friday,” another official said.

The aircraft prototype, with a complex arrowhead wing platform, is designed and manufactured with “light-weight carbon prepreg composite material” developed indigenously.

“The autonomous landing of the UAV, without the need for ground radars, infrastructure and pilot, showcased a unique capability demonstration, allowing take-off and landing from any runway with surveyed coordinates,” he said.

“This was possible using onboard sensor data fusion with indigenous satellite-based augmentation using GPS-aided GEO augmented navigation (GAGAN) receivers,” he added.

The Indian armed forces have a large number of UAVs, mainly of Israeli-origin, for real-time reconnaissance and precision-targeting. The IAF also has Israeli Harop “killer” or Kamikaze drones that act as cruise missiles by exploding into enemy targets and radars.

But India currently does not have full-fledged UCAVs that are controlled by satellites and can fire missiles on enemy targets before returning to re-arm for further missions. Towards this end, the mega $3 billion contract for 31 armed MQ-9B Reaper or Predator-B drones -- 15 for Navy and 8 each for Army and IAF – is likely to be inked with the US within this fiscal, as was reported by TOI earlier.