DRDO Successfully Test-fires Abhyas

• 24 Dec 2021

On 23^rd December, 2021, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the flight test of indigenously developed High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) Abhyas.

Abhyas

• It was launched from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
• Bengaluru based DRDO laboratory Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) along with other DRDO laboratories has developed this indigenous unmanned aerial target system to meet the requirement of aerial targets of Indian Armed Forces.
• During the launch, two boosters provided initial acceleration and a small turbo jet engine sustained high subsonic speed with long endurance.
• The indigenous data link designed by Bengaluru based industry partner has been successfully flown and tested during the flight.
• The aircraft is controlled from a ground based controller and indigenously developed MEMS-based (micro-electromechanical system) Inertial Navigation System along with the Flight Control Computer which helps it to follow the pre-designated path in a fully autonomous mode.
• During the flight trial, high subsonic speed trajectory at a very low altitude with high endurance was demonstrated.
• The performance of the system during the entire flight duration has been confirmed from the data captured by various range instruments deployed.