NEW DELHI: Taking a cue from the ongoing Middle East conflict and the Ukraine-Russia war where both sides have been using self-destructive drones to attack rival’s assets, India’s elite research institute National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has developed a desi ‘Kamikaze’ drone that is driven by an indigenously-built engine that gives them a range of 1,000 km.
NAL director Abhay Pashilkar, who is leading the research into self-destructive drones, told the media that such drones have added new dimensions to how wars are fought. These low-cost and effective unmanned aerial vehicles fly at a certain altitude, loiter around its target with explosive charges and detonate the explosives once they hit the target. They are controlled from a command centre.
The 30HP Wankel engine in these drones allows them to carry 100-120kg weight, which includes 30-40 kg of explosives. NAL is a constituent of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which was established in 1959 and is the only govt aerospace R&D laboratory in the country’s civilian sector.
The concept of kamikaze mission originated from World War II when Japanese pilots would ram their planes into Allied Forces’ assets, sacrificing themselves to inflict maximum damage. The modern Kamikaze drones, however, are unmanned, remotely controlled and have a precision strike.
NAL’s Kamikaze drone is approximately 2.8 metres in length with a wingspan of 3.5 metres. These drones can also be deployed in swarms, overwhelming enemy defences and radars. One of the key features of these drones is their ability to operate in GPS-denied environments. Equipped with Isro-developed navigation system NaVIC, these drones can navigate and acquire targets even in areas where GPS signals are jammed.
The Indian Army has currently inducted and deployed tiny Kamikaze drones called ‘Hoverbee’ in counter-terror operations in border areas that have been built by a Bengaluru-based startup. Though it neutralises threats with precision, its explosives-carrying capacity is less as compared to 30kg for NAL’s Kamikaze drones. Once deployed, these new drones will add to the punching power of the security forces.
NAL director Abhay Pashilkar, who is leading the research into self-destructive drones, told the media that such drones have added new dimensions to how wars are fought. These low-cost and effective unmanned aerial vehicles fly at a certain altitude, loiter around its target with explosive charges and detonate the explosives once they hit the target. They are controlled from a command centre.
The 30HP Wankel engine in these drones allows them to carry 100-120kg weight, which includes 30-40 kg of explosives. NAL is a constituent of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which was established in 1959 and is the only govt aerospace R&D laboratory in the country’s civilian sector.
The concept of kamikaze mission originated from World War II when Japanese pilots would ram their planes into Allied Forces’ assets, sacrificing themselves to inflict maximum damage. The modern Kamikaze drones, however, are unmanned, remotely controlled and have a precision strike.
NAL’s Kamikaze drone is approximately 2.8 metres in length with a wingspan of 3.5 metres. These drones can also be deployed in swarms, overwhelming enemy defences and radars. One of the key features of these drones is their ability to operate in GPS-denied environments. Equipped with Isro-developed navigation system NaVIC, these drones can navigate and acquire targets even in areas where GPS signals are jammed.
The Indian Army has currently inducted and deployed tiny Kamikaze drones called ‘Hoverbee’ in counter-terror operations in border areas that have been built by a Bengaluru-based startup. Though it neutralises threats with precision, its explosives-carrying capacity is less as compared to 30kg for NAL’s Kamikaze drones. Once deployed, these new drones will add to the punching power of the security forces.
