See India conduct first flight of autonomous technology demonstrator SWiFT

NEW DELHI — India on Friday successfully carried out the first flight of an autonomous technology demonstrator.

The aircraft, launched by Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment under the purview of the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation, is a scaled-down version of the upcoming Ghatak combat drone . The flight took place at the aeronautical test range based at Chitradurga in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

The airframe, undercarriage, and entire flight control and avionics systems used for the aircraft were domestically developed, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called the flight a major achievement toward autonomous aircraft that will pave the way for Aatmanirbhar Bharat — an economic initiative meant to make India less dependent on foreign technology — in terms of critical military systems.

A scientist with the Aeronautical Development Establishment told Defense News that the flight test of the aircraft — also referred to as the Stealth Wing Flying Testbed, or SWiFT — took place to demonstrate its of ability to take off, climb in altitude, cruise midair, navigate to waypoints, descend and land autonomously.

He noted that the next step is to develop a proven autonomous combat surveillance platform. The scientist spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The 1-ton SWiFT platform is powered by a Russian NPO Saturn 36MT turbofan engine. The platform had completed taxi trials in September 2021.

The Aeronautical Development Establishment will now evaluate the flight data in relation to the aircraft’s configuration, and autonomous takeoff and landing technology, retractable landing gear system, and low radar signature. This effort is meant to inform future modifications to the platform.

A scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organisation noted that at least 10 more flight tests are needed to prove the capability of the SWiFT platform, and only then will the government grant funding for the full-fledged development of the Ghatak UAV.

Vivek Raghuvanshi is the India correspondent for Defense News.

新德里——印度周五成功进行了自主技术验证机的首次飞行。

这架飞机由位于班加罗尔的航空发展机构（隶属于国营国防研究与发展组织）研制，是即将推出的“加塔克”（Ghatak）战斗无人机的缩小版。试飞在位于印度南部卡纳塔克邦奇特拉杜尔加的航空试验场进行。

印度国防部在一份声明中表示，该飞机的机身、起落架以及所有飞行控制和航空电子系统均为国产。国防部长拉杰纳特·辛格称此次试飞是迈向自主飞行器领域的一项重大成就，将为“自力更生印度”（Aatmanirbhar Bharat）计划铺平道路。该计划旨在降低印度在关键军事系统方面对外国技术的依赖。

航空发展机构的一位科学家告诉《防务新闻》，此次飞行测试（也称为隐形机翼飞行测试平台，或 SWiFT）是为了验证该飞机自主起飞、爬升、空中巡航、导航至航点、下降和着陆的能力。

他指出，下一步是研发一款成熟的自主作战监视平台。这位科学家要求匿名，因为他没有被授权接受媒体采访。

这款重达1吨的SWiFT平台由俄罗斯NPO Saturn 36MT涡扇发动机提供动力。该平台已于2021年9月完成滑行试验。

航空发展机构将评估飞行数据，重点关注飞机的构型、自主起降技术、可收放式起落架系统以及低雷达反射截面。这项工作旨在为未来对该平台进行改进提供依据。

国防研究与发展组织的一位科学家指出，至少还需要进行 10 次飞行测试来证明 SWiFT 平台的能力，只有到那时，政府才会拨款用于 Ghatak 无人机的全面开发。

Vivek Raghuvanshi 是《国防新闻》的印度通讯员。