In terms of appearance, the SWiFT corresponds, broadly, with previous artist’s concepts and scale models of the drone and, more generally, of those of the Ghatak, with which it shares a flying-wing planform and an engine intake located above the forward fuselage. While the trailing edge of the drone is difficult to make out, it appears to have a classic tailless flying wing profile, providing an overall arrowhead shape, rather than the highly cranked wing found on other stealthy drones, such as the Northrop Grumman X-47B. Its trailing edge is less swept than other designs, like Russia’s S-70, for instance. It is said that the shape of this UAV will serve as the overall design idea of ​​the future Ghatak UAV.

From the images that have appeared on the Ghatak UAV, the size of the engine’s tail nozzle and landing gear tires, it is estimated that the SWiFT drone is about 4 meters long, has a wingspan of more than 4.8 meters, and weighs about 1 ton. The tires of the landing gear in the photo are very large, which also shows the color of the aircraft’s verification machine. It is likely to be a reduced-size demonstration aircraft of the Ghatak UCAV, rather than a full-size unmanned fighter aircraft.

Ghatak UAV is an unmanned bomber with an internal weapon bay that can carry a variety of air-to-ground ammunition. The power unit of the SWiFT UAV is believed to be a Russian-made Saturn 36MT engine, which is a small turbofan engine used to power cruise missiles.

It has designed a concealed engine exhaust, which may be able to reduce infrared and radar signals.

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The notification comes days after the ministry of civil aviation issued the drone certification scheme on January 25 to stipulate minimum safety and quality requirements to boost indigenous manufacturing. The certification scheme will help in simpler, faster and transparent type-certification of drones.

Since August last year, the government has issued liberalised drone rules, a drone airspace map, extended the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme to drone manufacturing and introduced a single-window DigitalSky platform to help the drone manufacturing industry grow.

According to the government last year, the domestic drone manufacturing industry is expected to grow from a combined turnover of about ₹80 crore to ₹900 crore in three years.

On September 16 last year, civil aviation minister JyotiradityaScindia said the combined turnover of the drone sector – hardware, software and service delivery – was expected to grow to about ₹ 12,000-15,000 by 2026. The government says India has the potential to become a global drone hub by 2030.

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Ninety per cent of the composite structures (fuselage, wing, tail) of armed drones and loitering munition (also known as kamikaze drones) — being assembled by a leading Israeli aerospace firm — are now being made at a manufacturing plant of Lohia Aerospace Systems, part of the Lohia Group, in Kanpur. The Kanpur facility manufactures the carbon composite fuselage and wings of a number of Israeli armed drones and loitering munition.

The Lohia Group had in 2019 acquired an Israeli company called Light and Strong Ltd, which specialises in production of aerospace and military carbon-fibre and glass-fibre composite components.

The Israeli company was already a sub-vendor for multiple Israeli firms in supply of carbon structures that form the mainframe of multiple products, including drones that are exported globally.

The Lohia Group had simultaneously set up a manufacturing plant in the UP Defence Corridor (special zones for defence manufacturing firms), which is now making these structures for the Israeli original equipment manufacturer.

Through its Israeli entity, the Lohia Group has entered the lucrative market of cargo conversion, under which passenger aircraft are converted into cargo planes for various companies.

Light & Strong is the single source supplier to one of the largest Israeli firms in cargo conversion.

While initially only a handful of companies used to do cargo conversion, given the high demand and profitability, even aircraft manufacturers are getting into this business big time.

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A fresh contract was signed recently with ideaForge for the advanced version — with higher endurance and additional technical features — of SWITCH tactical drones that are being used by Army’s special forces and infantry.

Delivery of the entire set of drones, meant for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), ordered from the Mumbai-based firm in January last year, has been completed and is being extensively used in Ladakh, where India and China are in a military stand-off since May 2020.

Besides tactical drones, the Army has also increased surveillance all along the LAC by bringing in larger Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), like the regular Israeli Heron and a set of four advanced Heron 2, procured last year.

It was for the first time last year that the Army had inducted specialised indigenous drones for surveillance.

The Mumbai based ideaForge had won the contract last year following a competition with Israel’s top UAV manufacturer Elbit, besides the Tata Group, Dynamatic Technologies Ltd and VTOL Aviation.

The 2021 contract was valued at about $20 million (around Rs 140 crores) and was the first high-value drone contract received by an Indian firm.

The standard man portable SWITCH weighs 6.5 kgs and is capable of vertical take-off, like a helicopter, with an endurance of two hours, even in high altitudes with low temperatures, high winds and low density of air.

The drone can be carried on the back of a soldier and deployed. It is capable of carrying out surveillance up to 15 kms, can be launched from altitudes of 4,000 metres, and has a maximum operating altitude of 1,000 metres with a wind resistance of up to 10.8 knots or 20 km per hour.

The new drones ordered by the Army are an advanced version, with extended endurance and cover 700 sq km from each take-off point. It also comes with encrypted communication and long-range target detection, with an HD optical zoom payload.

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