Chandipur, Oct 22 (UNI) 'Abhyas' High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT), a drone that will be used as a target for various missile systems, was successfully flight-tested on Friday from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, off the coast of Bay of Bengal in Odisha.

The performance of the unmanned aerial vehicle, which was tested by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), was monitored through telemetry and various tracking sensors including Radars and Electro Optical Tracking System (EOTS), an official statement said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO on the successful test.

The flight test was carried out as a part of developmental flight trials.

"Expression of interest for production of the vehicle has already been floated to Indian industries. This indigenous target aircraft, once developed, will meet the requirements of High-speed Expendable Aerial Targets (HEAT) for Indian Armed Forces," the statement said.

Designed and developed by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru, Abhyas was launched using twin under-slung boosters to provide the initial acceleration to the vehicle.

"It is powered by a gas turbine engine to sustain a long endurance flight at subsonic speed. The target aircraft is equipped with MEMS based Inertial Navigation System (INS) for navigation along with the Flight Control Computer (FCC) for guidance and control," the statement said.

"The vehicle is programmed for fully autonomous flight. The check-out of air vehicle is done using laptop-based Ground Control Station (GCS)," it said.

Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO, also congratulated the teams associated with successful flight test of Abhyas and termed it as a force-multiplier considering its accuracy and effectiveness.

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