In a significant development for indigenous defense capabilities, the Indian Navy plans to procure four Tapas drones manufactured by DRDO within India. These drones are intended for surveillance operations in maritime areas.
“The Indian Navy is going to order four Tapas drones and it is going to use them for maritime surveillance operations,” ANI quoted defence officials.
The drones will be produced by a partnership between Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
“The deliveries would be made faster by the consortium as the first bird would be ready for delivery within 24 months of signing the contract. The existing birds or drones would be used for carrying out trials and improving their capabilities,” they added.
The Tapas drones developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment Laboratory under DRDO have not fully met the defence forces’ requirements in trials, particularly in achieving the Joint Services Qualitative Requirements of flying continuously at 30,000 feet for over 24 hours. Consequently, they have been excluded from mission mode projects. Despite these challenges, DRDO is committed to further enhancing the Tapas medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) capabilities.
During tests, the Tapas drones reached altitudes of up to 28,000 feet and sustained flights of over 18 hours. In a specific trial, Indian Navy officials operated the drone over the Arabian Sea for several hours following its launch from an airfield in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Sources indicate that the Tapas drone requires relatively short runway lengths, enabling its use from small airfields in both island territories and the mainland.