India set to develop new warrior - 'Ghatak' stealth combat drones

New Delhi: In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign, India has set its eyes on getting its own unmanned 'weapon in the sky' in the form of stealth combat drones.

As per a report in The Times of India, the Modi government is close to approve a Rs 2,650 crore Project Ghatak to develop UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles).

The report further adds that the UCAVs will be powered by a variant of the indigenously-developed Kaveri aerospace engine.

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The interesting aspect is that the Kaveri engine had met with limited success when latched on to the Made in India Tejas light combat aircraft.

The thrust provided by the Kaveri engine was not enough to power Tejas throughout its flight envelope but it is now expected that the Kaveri derivative engine ("dry" engine), without after burner, will provided enough juice to power UCAVs.

The UCAV project has been cleared by the defence ministry and is now being evaluated by the finance ministry, the report further adds.

However, it may be atleast a decade before the UCAV takes to the skies to defend India's borders and engage targets.