DRDO Ghatak

Overview

Ghatak (pronounced: gʰɑːt̪ək; lit. 'Deadly' in Sanskrit), initially designated as Indian Unmanned Strike Air Vehicle (IUSAV), is an autonomous jet powered stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), being developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force. The design work on the UCAV is to be carried out by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft (AURA) was a tentative name for the UCAV. Details of the project are classified. The Ghatak UCAV will have an internal weapons bay for carrying missiles, bombs and precision-guided munitions. Its design will be based on a flying-wing concept, and will be powered by a turbofan engine. The first flight of a scaled down testbed was carried out in July 2022, and that of a full scale prototype is expected in 2025.