India's upcoming tailless unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Ghatak, designed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation for deep-strike missions inside heavily defended enemy territory, will be like a fighter jet, DRDO chairman and Secretary of the Department of Defence Samir V. Kamat clarified.
During the ANI National Security Summit 2.0 on Thursday, the DRDO chief was asked whether the Ghatak UCAV will look like a fighter jet.
Kamat clarified that they will look like fighters.
"They will be like fighters. They would be equivalent to a stealth fighter, so it will be about a 13-ton class, LCA-type fighter aircraft," he was quoted as saying.
He said he is not sure how many Ghatak drones the Indian Air Force (IAF) will have in the future.
He, however, noted that the Defence Procurement Board (DPB) granted clearance for 67 such drones.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), in March, granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of Remotely Piloted Strike Aircraft for the IAF. The indigenous, jet-powered, low-observable Ghatak UCAV come under this.
The drone is expected to be powered by India's indigenous jet engine project, the Kaveri engine. A "dry" version of the engine, without the afterburner, is fit for the stealth fighter as it is suitable for subsonic operations and offers longer endurance and a lower infrared signature, enhancing stealth.