DRDO carries out maiden flight of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator| VIDEO

New Delhi, July 02: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the Maiden flight of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator from 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, way point 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 towards autonomous aircraft and will pave the way for 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in terms of critical military systems.

Powered by a small turbofan engine, the unmanned aerial vehicle is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru, a premier research laboratory of DRDO. The airframe, undercarriage and entire flight control and avionics systems used for the aircraft had been developed indigenously.