DRDO Lakshya

Overview

Lakshya (lit. 'Target') is a remotely piloted high speed Indian target drone system developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of DRDO. A variant Lakshya-1 is used to perform discreet aerial reconnaissance of battlefield and target acquisition. The drone is remotely piloted by a ground control station and provides realistic towed aerial sub-targets for live fire training. The drone is ground- or ship-launched from a zero length launcher. Recovery is by a two-stage parachute system developed by ADE (DRDO), for land- or sea-based recovery. The drone has a crushable nose cone, which absorbs the impact of landing, minimizing damage. The flight path may be controlled or pre-programmed, based upon the type of mission.