ABHYAS: DRDO successfully concludes four flight trials

The Ministry of Defence said that it is designed for autonomous flying with the help of an autopilot indigenously made by the DRDOs Aeronautical Development Establishment

New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out four flight trials of high-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) – ABHYAS.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that it is designed for autonomous flying with the help of an autopilot indigenously made by the DRDOs Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE). It has Radar Cross Section, Visual and Infrared augmentation system required for weapon practice.

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It also has a laptop-based Ground Control System with which the aircraft can be integrated and pre-flight checks; data recording during the flight, replay after the flight and post-flight analysis can be carried out, an official added. The MoD informed on Monday that the trial was carried out from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha, between January 30 and February 2.

The trials were conducted with four different mission objectives in a revised robust configuration, using a single booster designed by Advanced Systems Laboratory, Hyderabad to provide reduced launch acceleration. Objectives like safe release of booster, launcher clearance and attaining the required end of launch velocity were achieved.

During the flight trials, various parameters like required endurance, speed, maneuverability, altitude and range were successfully validated, official added. Designed by ADE, ABHYAS offers a realistic threat scenario for practice of weapon systems. The MoD said that ABHYAS requires minimum logistics and is cost-effective compared to imported equivalents.

The systems tested recently were realised through Production Agencies Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro (L and T) Defence. With identified production agencies, ABHYAS is ready for production. The system has export potential and can be offered to friendly countries, officials added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated the DRDO, the Armed Forces and the industry for the successful flight trial of ABHYAS. The development of this system will meet the requirements of aerial targets for the Armed Forces, he said.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat appreciated the efforts of the teams associated in the design, development and testing of the system.