DRDO successfully tests TAPAS UAV

New Delhi: In a remarkable feat, the Indian Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully carried out the transfer of command and control capabilities of TAPAS Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

The demonstration involved commanding the UAV from a distant ground station to the onboard INS Subhadra, a warship situated 148 km away from Karnataka's Karwar naval base.

Tapas UAV operated at an altitude of 20,000 feet above sea level and completed three-hour and 30-minute flight, with the INS Subhadra assuming control of the operations for 40 minutes.

The Tapas UAV took off at 07:35 am from the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga and covered 285km distance to reach the naval base. To facilitate the control of the UAV, one Ground Control Station and two Ship Data Terminals were installed on the INS Subhadra, DRDO said in a statement. Following the successful trial, the Tapas UAV landed back at the ATR.

The Tapas UAV, developed by DRDO, is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle. The vehicle, which was publicly showcased during its first flight at Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru earlier this year, has a range of more than 18 hours and can operate at altitudes of up to 28,000 feet. It was developed in response to the ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Tracking, and Reconnaissance) requirements of the tri-services.