India's UCAV To Fly In 2015, Says DRDO. High Hopes?

[JAISWAL]

India's concept AURA stealth UCAV could complete prototyping by end 2013, make its first flight in 2015 and enter service in 2017, a senior DRDO scientist has told The Indian Express. Now, either that's a pang of breathtaking optimism, or the DRDO is actually working it. To put it gently, timelines have never been the DRDO's strongest suit, and the target indicated suggests that the AURA (officially only called Unmanned Strike Air Vehicle - USAV, and first revealed here on Livefist) will fly well before India's Tejas Mk.2 and AMCA manned fighter jets. To be sure, very little is actually known about the AURA/USAV apart from the fact that it is being developed as a flying-wing stealth design, and is expected to be powered by a modified version of the Snecma/Kaveri turbofan engine. Most current circumstances indicate that it is highly unlikely that a 2015 first flight is possible, though the secret nature of the programme may just suggest things we don't know yet. I'll say this: I'd be the happiest person on earth if I get to eat my words, but I won't be holding my breath just yet.

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Livefist: India's UCAV To Fly In 2015, Says DRDO. High Hopes?

 

[Rahul Singh]

There are three ingredients that make a UCAV fly; Turbofan, SAT-LINKS and software for command and control and partially autonomous flight.

Out of these three last one is partially proven with RUSTOM-1.

SAT-LINKs . Well recently DRDO claimed to have developed SATCOM for CABS AEW&C, which to me is solid ground for development of two way SAT-LINK and gives enough reason to believe that they can have system ready in next three years.

About SNECMA-GTRE Kaveri Turbofan engine. This to me is overly optimistic claim as nothing as of today is on ground all that is, is talks talks and further talks with SNECMA. However if ADE is talking about using present K-9 which is said to have demonstrated 81 KN wet then i would differ and wait with fingers crossed.

 

[sayareakd]

So we have to unmanned flying platform one is ARUR and other is RUSTOM-2.

Arur is good when we are testing our first stealth plane, it is better to go with unmanned version.

 

[p2prada]

ADE talked about K-9, not K-10.

 

[Ray]

India's UCAV To Fly In 2015, Says DRDO. High Hopes?

One never knows.

With the heat on, on the DRDOs non performance, they might get their act together and shake off the dust of their bureaucratic mindset and the penchant for funds without accountability!

 

[Rahul Singh]

ADE talked about K-9, not K-10.

Yes indeed. Mr Aroor is wrong here.

*K-9 is one which is undergoing flight tests in Russia, K-10 is proposed JV with SNECMA.

 

[Just Me]

So how far have the progressed?