Defense sector Indian company ‘Nibe Group’ has completed the successful trial of its new dangerous weapon Vayu Astra-1 Loitering Munition. This is such a deadly ‘kamikaze’ or suicide drone, which hovers in the sky like an eagle and as soon as it finds the target, it collides with it and blasts itself.
Recently, it was successfully demonstrated live in front of the Indian Army in Pokhran, Rajasthan and Joshimath (Malari) in Uttarakhand under ‘No-Cost, No-Commitment’ (NCNC).
Ability to stop attack
In the Pokhran range, ‘Vayu Astra-1 Anti-Personnel’ drone took off with a warhead (explosive) weighing 10 kg and in the first attempt completely destroyed the enemy base situated 100 kilometers away.
This system hit its target located at a distance of 100km in a single shot. During this period, its ‘Circular Error Probability’ (CEP) remained less than 1 meter, which means that it did not deviate even by 1 meter from its fixed target.
It has the quality of stopping attacks. There is a special technology in it, through which if the drone has moved forward to attack, then even at the last moment that attack can be stopped and the attack can be carried out afresh. This drone is based on Israeli technology.
hit targets in the dark of night
This team also tested ‘anti-armor’ (anti-tank) night strike in the dark of night in Pokhran, Rajasthan. With the help of infrared (IR) camera, this drone detected enemy tanks even in the dark of night and attacked them accurately with an accuracy of just 2 meters.
During this test, safe transfer of control of the drone from the Ground Control Station (GCS) located 70 kilometers away to the Forward Control Segment (forward deployed team) was also successfully demonstrated.
Flighted at a height of 14,000 feet in Uttarakhand
After the desert, the real test of ‘Vayu Astra-1’ took place in the hills of Joshimath (Malari) in Uttarakhand. This was a high-altitude test. This drone performed brilliantly in the mountainous area at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet and extremely low temperatures.
The drone made a record of hovering and flying in the air for more than 90 minutes. After the completion of this mission, this drone was safely recovered (landed back), that is, it can be used again for the next flight.
Why is this success important in the defense sector?
Considering modern wars, this drone is going to prove to be a gamechanger for the Indian Army. This drone is adept in covertly attacking enemy bunkers, vehicles and soldiers in the high hilly and plain areas on the borders of China and Pakistan. Its ability to work even in the dark of night increases India’s military strength manifold on the border.
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