India's indigenously developed Rustom-II (TAPAS 201) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has successfully completed its maiden flight at Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range near Bangalore, India.
The flight tested the aircraft's take-off, banking, level flight and landing capabilities.
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The new medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV was developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a lab managed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) served as production partners for the project.
The multi-mission UAV is capable of transporting medium-range electro optic (MREO) and long-range electro optic (LREO) equipment, synthetic aperture radars (SAR), electronic intelligence (ELINT), communication intelligence (COMINT) and situational awareness payloads (SAP).
Indian armed forces will use the TAPAS 201 to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.
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By GlobalDataIt is the first R&D prototype UAV to undergo certification and qualification from the Center for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC) and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA), the Indian Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Rustom-II will undergo further trials to validate its design parameters before being tested by users, the statement said.
