The live ink desk. The Indian Air Force has proposed to the Central Government to buy 10 Tapas (Made in India) drones. In this, 60 percent of the drones will be purchased for the Air Force while 40 percent for the Indian Navy.
The proposal of the Indian Air Force is expected to be discussed in the Ministry of Defense soon. The Indian Tapas drone will be used to monitor the border, as well as it can also be used to attack enemies.
According to defense officials, the medium-altitude Tapas drone has been developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADA), a laboratory of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
They have been jointly manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The proposal to buy Made in India drones is being seen as a step to increase unmanned surveillance capability.
The full name of Tapas is Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance Beyond Horizon (TAPAS). This is India’s first Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV, which is similar to the US MQ-1 Predator drone.
The Indian Air Force has a fleet of Israeli-origin Heron Mark-1 and Mark-2 drones. In the future, there is a plan to include American Predator MQ-9B drones for all three forces.
Questions were raised on the capability of the Tapas drone in early 2024. Actually, it was earlier reported that the Tapas drones have not been able to fulfill the ability to fly at an altitude of 30 thousand feet for more than 24 hours continuously.
The Tapas drone has been tested by the defense forces. During this, the Tapas drones were successful in reaching an altitude of 28 thousand feet and flew for more than 18 hours. According to DRDO officials, work is being done on its design, service ceiling and power capacity.
Features of Tapas Drone
- Power Plant: Austro 330EP(177HP)
- Command Range: 250 Km (Los)
- 1000 Km (Satcom Blos)
- Take off/Landing: Conventional & Automatic
- Payload Capacity: 350 Kg
- Wing Span: 20.6 M
- Max AUW: 2850 Kg
- Max Speed: 225 Kmph
- Hard Points: 2 Points capable of carrying 2x60kg
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