Drones

India is quietly going ahead with an ambitious programme to develop its own stealth UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles) or ‘smart’ drones capable of firing missiles and bombs at enemy targets with precision. Talking about the secretive AURA (autonomous unmanned research aircraft) programme for the first time, the DRDO said that the aim is to develop the UCAVs for the IAF in seven to eight years. “With Rs 50 crore as seed money, a full-fledged project team with 15-18 scientists has already begun work on the UCAV’s preliminary design and technology. With onboard mission computers, data links, fire control radars, identification of friend or foe, and traffic collision avoidance systems, they will be highly intelligent drones,” DRDO’s chief controller R&D (aeronautics) Prahlada said. “Capable of flying at altitudes of 30,000 feet and weighing less than 15 tonnes, the UCAVs will have raillaunching for the missiles, bombs and PGMs (precision-guided munitions) they will carry,” he added. The realization that UCAVs are “game-changers in modern-day warfare” has been reinforced by the successful use of American Predator and Reaper drones, armed with Hellfire and other missiles, against the Taliban in the Af-Pak region. “But unlike Predators, which are like aircraft, our UCAVs will be more of ‘a flying-wing’ in design. This will ensure they have a low radar cross-section to evade enemy sensors,” said Prahlada. The DRDO is confident of developing the UCAVs on its own, with “some foreign consultancy or collaboration” in fields like stealth and autonomous short-run take-off and landing.