India Advances Toward Indigenous Stealth Drone Fleet with ‘Ghatak’ UCAV

India has taken a significant step toward strengthening its aerial combat capabilities with progress on the indigenous ‘Ghatak’ stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) program. The Defence Acquisition Council recently cleared the procurement of remotely piloted strike aircraft, paving the way for the induction of four squadrons of advanced combat drones for the Indian Air Force.

Ghatak is one such example of an Indian-made Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle, which was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Initiated initially through the AURA (Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft) project, this Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle is used for deep-strike missions and suppression of enemy air defense systems, along with working in conjunction with manned fighters like HAL Tejas.

This particular Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle has the characteristic design of a tailless flying wing just like the famous Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. Being made of mostly carbon fiber composite materials, this plane will be hard to spot by radars. With the Indian made Kaveri engine being used in it, Ghatak is anticipated to have a maximum payload capacity of 1.5 tonnes inside its weapon bays.

There are around 60-80 planes planned for this project, which will contribute to the fulfillment of the Indian Vision of 2047.