DRDO SWIFT UAV
DRDO SWIFT UAV is an autonomous jet-powered stealth unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), being developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force. The first flight of a scaled-down testbed was carried out on 1st July 2022; the full-scaled prototype is expected in 2025. It was initially named Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft (AURA).later on it was renamed Ghatak UCAV.
Development of a scaled-down technology demonstrator of Ghatak UCAV began in 2020. As per DRDO, the SWIFT UAV is intended to develop and demonstrate technologies for controlling the flying wing configuration and flight characteristics at high-subsonic speed. It had a resemblance to the US Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.
Its ground test begins to be conducted in July 2021. and on October 29, 2021, images and videos of it doing taxi testing surfed on the internet. It is 4 meters long and has a 5-meter wingspan. Swift UAV weighs around 1 tonne and is powered by a TRDD-50MT or NPO Saturn 36MT turbofan engine.
After its 1st flight, the DRDO stated that the aircraft flew flawlessly in completely autonomous mode, including takeoff, way-point navigation, and a soft touchdown. The aircraft’s (SWIFT UAV’s) airframe, undercarriage, and full flight control and avionics systems were created domestically.
