Ghatak is India’s stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) programme, a roughly 13-tonne flying-wing aircraft under development by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), designed for deep-strike and, in a proposed variant, air-superiority roles with minimal radar signature.[1]
In 2016, DRDO sanctioned a scaled-down technology demonstrator called the Stealth Wing Flying Testbed (SWiFT), costing roughly ₹70 crore, specifically to de-risk the challenging flight-control problem of stabilising a tailless flying-wing airframe — a configuration that offers excellent stealth characteristics but is aerodynamically unstable and hard to control without sophisticated fly-by-wire software. SWiFT completed successful autonomous flights in 2022 and 2023, demonstrating that Indian engineers had mastered the core control-law challenge, and clearing the way for full-scale Ghatak development.[1]
Ghatak is designed as a flying-wing, tailless airframe optimised for low radar observability, intended primarily for autonomous or semi-autonomous deep-strike missions against heavily defended targets where a manned aircraft would face prohibitive risk. Indian defence media have also reported on a proposed air-superiority variant equipped with air-to-air missiles, extending Ghatak’s role beyond strike into contested-airspace defence — though this remains a secondary, less-mature line of development compared to the core strike mission.[2]
In late March 2026, India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared procurement of approximately four squadrons — some 60–64 units — of the Ghatak, a major programme milestone. However, the effort still awaits final financial sanction (estimated at roughly ₹5,000 crore) from the Ministry of Defence to move fully into the flight-testing phase, and is dependent in part on certification of the dry (non-afterburning) Kaveri Derivative Engine as its powerplant. DRDO has set an approximate 7–8 year timeline to operational readiness, implying induction around 2033–2034.[3][4]
| Type | Stealth flying-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) |
| Developer | Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), DRDO |
| Class | ~13 tonnes |
| Technology demonstrator | SWiFT (Stealth Wing Flying Testbed), first autonomous flights 2022–2023 |
| Planned engine | Kaveri Derivative Engine (dry, non-afterburning variant) |
| Primary role | Deep-strike; proposed air-superiority variant with A2A missiles |
| DAC procurement clearance | ~60–64 units (4 squadrons), late March 2026 |
| Estimated programme cost | ~₹5,000 crore (pending final sanction) |
| Projected operational readiness | ~2033–2034 |