DRDO's autonomous plane's maiden flight "successful"

DRDO says the airframe, undercarriage and entire flight control and avionics systems used for the unmanned aerial vehicle were indigenously developed. The aircraft which is powered by a small turbofan engine was successfully tested in "full autonomous mode."

Bengaluru: The Defence Research and Development Organisation on Friday successfully carried out the maiden flight at Chitradurga in Karnataka. Operating in a fully autonomous mode, the aircraft exhibited a perfect flight and a smooth touchdown, an official press release said.

The flight marked a major milestone in proving critical technologies towards development of future unmanned aircraft and is a significant step towards self-reliance in such strategic defence technologies, the statement read. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru, a premier research laboratory of DRDO, the statement said.

It is powered by a small turbofan engine. The airframe, undercarriage and entire flight control and avionics systems used for the aircraft were indigenously developed, according to the press release. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO by tweeting with the image of the plane.

"Congratulations to @DRDO_India on successful maiden flight of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator from Chitradurga ATR. It is a major achievement towards autonomous aircrafts which will pave the way for Aatmanirbhar Bharat in terms of critical military systems," he said.