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| Ghatak UCAV First Image |
Images of a scale model of the Indian Air Force Ghatak UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle) surfaced for the primary time during a recent video of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-Kanpur). The UAV design lecture was posted on the institute’s YouTube channel on September 28 and therefore the model, which is reportedly the primary to feature also a undercarriage , was seen within the background within the laboratory where the lecture was recorded. As first reported by Livefist, this might be either a mockup or a sub-scale flying model of the SWiFT (Stealth Wing Flying Testbed), the technology demonstrator designed and built in collaboration with the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) to prove technologies for the Ghatak. A prototype SWiFT are going to be fitted with a Russian NPO Saturn 36MT turbojet , which currently powers the Indian Nirbhay aircraft . Another similar but smaller model was also visible within the video.
The Ghatak project, which in Hindi means “dangerous”/”deadly”, began as Project AURA (autonomous unmanned research aircraft) and was first acknowledged in 2010, directed by a team which reported directly to the Prime Minister. The program, worth a minimum of 8M USD so far , is that specialize in the event of the drone entirely in India, with technology transfers from abroad reduced to the bare minimum.
Ghatak, which can be approximately eight times bigger than SWiFT, is being developed as a bomber aircraft to both attack ground targets with precision weapons and perform ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) missions. The SWiFT prototype is reportedly scheduled to fly for the primary
time next year, while Ghatak won’t be flying before 202-2025.
Other than IIT Kanpur, which is studying the autonomous flight of a coffee RCS (Radar Cross Section) aircraft with a ducted fan engine and performing structure testing to finetune the UCAV’s shape, IIT Bombay collaborated with the planning and testing of the serpentine air intake duct (also referred to as S-duct inlet) for the engine.
The final Ghatak configuration are going to be powered by the Indian-made Kaveri engine, designed for the LCA Tejas, during a non-afterburning variant. The engine didn’t meet the expected power outputs, however the French aerospace companies Dassault and Safran are reportedly collaborating to assist fix the engine and refine the aircraft design as a part of the technology transfers that are included with the Indian deal for the Rafale. According to Livefist, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, BAE Systems,and MiG Corp also offered assistance for the Ghatak program.
The Ghatak UCAV is being kept strictly under cover and there aren't much technical details available. The UCAV is being described as capable of flying at high speed, which some sources claims might be Mach 1.2, at an altitude of 30,000 ft with a variety of more than 300 km. The range seems somewhat too short for that speed and altitude, but considering the “more than” it could simply be how to not disclose the important expected range.
The MTOW (Maximum Take-Off Weight) is reported at about 15000 kg, of which 2000 kg are going to be the weapons payload. The aircraft will reportedly be equipped with an EO/IR sensor (Electro-Optical/Infra-Red) and an AESA radar (Active Electronically Scanned Array), amid an in depth EW suite.
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