DRDO Ghatak Combat Drone Programme Gathers Pace With 60 Units Planned

11 Mar 2026 CW Team

Ghatak is a stealth-capable unmanned combat aerial vehicle based on a flying-wing configuration designed for a low radar cross-section and internal weapon carriage. Once operational, it is intended to undertake deep-strike missions and to penetrate heavily defended airspace to attack high-value targets without exposing pilots to risk. The platform is being developed to operate autonomously or alongside manned aircraft and could be tasked to suppress or destroy enemy air defences, including radar stations and missile systems. Precision-guided munitions have been cited as the intended armament for strategic infrastructure strikes.

The Indian Air Force has drawn up a technology and capability road map titled Vision 2047 and has indicated that unmanned systems will complement rather than fully replace manned fighter jets in the foreseeable future. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, said the IAF is fully backing the UCAV programme and considers it a necessary component of future force structure. He noted that unmanned systems are appropriate where human life should not be risked and that research and development projects are ongoing in that direction.

On December 15, 2023, DRDO carried out a flight trial of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator, an indigenous high-speed flying-wing unmanned aerial vehicle that is understood to be a precursor to the Ghatak UCAVs. The trial in a tailless configuration at the Aeronautical Test Range in Karnataka's Chitradurga was presented as marking India's mastery of flying-wing controls. The demonstrator showed autonomous landing capability without reliance on ground radars or infrastructure, enabling takeoff and landing from any surveyed runway coordinates. The prototype made use of indigenously developed lightweight carbon composite material and incorporated structural sensors for health monitoring.

The Ministry of Defence's Defence Procurement Board has recommended that the proposal to procure 60 Ghatak unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) be taken forward, a defence source said. The proposal now awaits approval from the Defence Acquisition Council. The recommendation advances an indigenous stealth flying-wing combat drone programme led by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Ghatak is a stealth-capable unmanned combat aerial vehicle based on a flying-wing configuration designed for a low radar cross-section and internal weapon carriage. Once operational, it is intended to undertake deep-strike missions and to penetrate heavily defended airspace to attack high-value targets without exposing pilots to risk. The platform is being developed to operate autonomously or alongside manned aircraft and could be tasked to suppress or destroy enemy air defences, including radar stations and missile systems. Precision-guided munitions have been cited as the intended armament for strategic infrastructure strikes. The Indian Air Force has drawn up a technology and capability road map titled Vision 2047 and has indicated that unmanned systems will complement rather than fully replace manned fighter jets in the foreseeable future. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, said the IAF is fully backing the UCAV programme and considers it a necessary component of future force structure. He noted that unmanned systems are appropriate where human life should not be risked and that research and development projects are ongoing in that direction. On December 15, 2023, DRDO carried out a flight trial of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator, an indigenous high-speed flying-wing unmanned aerial vehicle that is understood to be a precursor to the Ghatak UCAVs. The trial in a tailless configuration at the Aeronautical Test Range in Karnataka's Chitradurga was presented as marking India's mastery of flying-wing controls. The demonstrator showed autonomous landing capability without reliance on ground radars or infrastructure, enabling takeoff and landing from any surveyed runway coordinates. The prototype made use of indigenously developed lightweight carbon composite material and incorporated structural sensors for health monitoring.

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