India successfully completed maiden test flight of its first indigenously developed Medium Altitude Long Range (MALE) Unmmaned Aerial Ve...
India successfully completed maiden test flight of its first indigenously developed Medium Altitude Long Range (MALE) Unmmaned Aerial Vehicle on Wednesday.
Dubbed the TAPAS 201, the multi-mission UAV weighing two tonnes is being developed to carry out the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) roles for the three Armed Forces with an endurance of 24 hours.
The maiden test flight took place from the newly developed Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga. The flight validated aircraft's take-off, bank, level flight and landing capabilities.
Earlier called Rustom-II, the UAV was designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), the Bangalore-based premier lab of DRDO.
TAPAS can carry a wide range of sensors like Medium Range Electro Optic (MREO), Long Range Electro Optic (LREO), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communication Intelligence (COMINT) and Situational Awareness Payloads (SAP) to perform missions during day and night.The TAPAS is powered by two NPO Saturn 36T turboprop engines rated at ~100 hp each. The UAV is equipped with automatic take off and landing feature.
It has a wingspan of 20 m for high altitude flights of upto 35000 ft high. An armed variant will also be developed capable of carrying guided ground attack missiles.
