Source : IgMp Bureau
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| SWIFT UCAV Technology Demonstrator |
The first flight of the SWIFT Technology Demonstrator validated flying control laws, navigation and made a smooth touchdown while operating in a fully Autonomous mode and after some more flight tests the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will approve the development of the 13 ton Autonomous Stealth Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle that will cost a few thousand crores.
Several people have questioned that the SWIFT UCAF design never featured a vertical stabilizer but the takeoff and landing video released by the DRDO shows a vertical stabilizer that created some level of confusion.
The SWIFT was flown with vertical stabilizer for initial flight test cycles to validate data and test points and as an additional safety margin to the platform and it will be flight tested without the vertical stabilizer at a later stage.
The footage also shows the SWIFT without a vertical stabilizer for a few seconds but actually the stabilizer was not visible due to the camera angle and distance.
The 13-ton Autonomous Stealth Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle will feature a tailless fixed-wing design integrated with a fluidic thrust vectoring nozzle which offers the most aerodynamically efficient design configuration and is often used for stealth platforms like manned and unmanned bombers.
