DRDO Abhyas

DRDO Abhyas is a high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT) being built by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Armed Forces.

Design
The fuselage for the Abhyas was designed by adopting the DRDO Lakshya tow body (not the main fuselage). The fuselage consists of five sections, namely the nose cone, equipment bay, fuel tank bay, air intake bay and tail cone. The material for the nose and tail cones are made up of composite material (GFRP), whereas the material of the equipment bay, air intake bay and fuel tank are made up of an aluminum steel alloy. The wings and tail plane of the Abhyas have been derived from the Lakshya by downsizing them, however the wings of the Abhyas are positioned on the upper-side of the body whereas the Lakshya has under-body wings. For propulsion it is fitted with a gas-turbine engine, having a thrust of 25 kg, with an endurance of 30–45 minutes. Abhyas is GPS-enabled, has an on-board flight control computer and a miss-distance indicator. It is also designed for autonomous flight with the help of an autopilot.

Flight Profile
The Abhyas is launched from a mobile launcher with the help of two 68 mm booster rockets (being manufactured at ordinance factories). At the end of its launch phase the burnout booster rockets are jettisoned. Thereafter, the main gas-turbine engine powers the vehicle during cruise phase.

Transportation & Storage
The Abhyas drone has a dedicated box for its transportation and storage (2570 mm * 710 mm *415 mm) made of EPE (Expanded Polyethylene) and with an XLPE (Cross-linked polyethylene) foam material inside. It is weather proof, drop and vibration proof and static load-tested.

Usage
Abhyas's radar cross-section (RCS) as well as its visual and infrared signatures can be augmented to simulate a variety of aircraft for air-defense weapon practices. It can also function as a jammer platform and decoy. The HEAT system is utilized to do away with the post-launch recovery mode, which is time-consuming and difficult in a scenario as the sea.

Development
As of January 2013, the proof of concept and pre-project trials were completed. The first experimental launch (without the main engine) of the Abhyas was held at the Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range on 23 June 2012. The gas turbine engine has been identified and integrated on the Abhyas airframe and its test run with the aircraft fuel system and s-airtake has been completed. The project was sanctioned with an initial DRDO funding of Rs 150 million and the ADE carry out 15 technology demonstrators (TDs) over the next two years. After the acceptance of the prototypes or TDs by the Indian Armed Forces, serial production will start. The Indian Defense Services have also revealed a combined global tender projecting the requirement of 225 HEAT drones.