BHUBANESWAR : NEARLY a decade after the first developmental trial, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday confirmed that indigenously developed high-speed expendable aerial target Abhyas is now ready for production.
The confirmation came after a series of successful developmental trials of the unmanned aerial vehicle from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Odisha coast in last four days.
Defence sources said four trials of the aircraft developed to be used as target for flight tests of surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles were conducted validating four different mission objectives in a revised robust configuration.
Designed by DRDO’s Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Abhyas was test flown from the launching complex-III of the test facility in full operational configuration.
A statement issued by DRDO said Abhyas requires minimum logistics and is cost-effective compared to imported equivalents. The new system, which has export potential and can be offered to friendly countries, is now ready for production. The pilot-less target aircraft used a single booster that has been designed by Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) to provide reduced launch acceleration.
A defence official said several mission objectives like safe release of booster, launcher clearance and attaining required end of launch velocity were achieved during the trials. “Various parameters including required endurance, speed, manoeuvrability, altitude and range were also successfully validated,” he said.
DRDO chairman Samir V Kamat thanked the team associated with the design, development and testing of the system. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, armed forces and the defence industry for the successful flight trial of Abhyas. The system will meet the requirements of aerial targets for the armed forces, he said.