India on Wednesday successfully tested the indigenously-designed Abhyas – a High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) – in Odisha. The trial was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha’s Chandipur.
It flies under the control of automatic systems and needs no intervention from a human pilot.
During the test flight, the aircraft was flown from a ground-based controller to examine its maneuverability and performance at low altitudes. The air vehicle was launched using twin under-slung boosters during the demonstration, which provided initial acceleration. It is powered by a small gas turbine engine for endurance flights at high subsonic speed.
India also test-fired the Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) in Chandipur last week. The VL-SRSAM is a ship-borne weapon system meant for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.
