Lakshya is a remotely piloted, high-speed pilotless target aircraft (PTA) developed by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), used by the Indian armed forces to provide realistic aerial targets for weapon-system training, missile testing and anti-aircraft gunnery practice.[1]
Lakshya measures 2.385 m in length with a wingspan of 5 m and a maximum take-off weight of 705 kg. It is powered by a HAL PTAE-7 turbojet engine producing 3.7 kN of thrust, giving it a maximum speed of about 857 km/h (Mach 0.7), an operational range of 150 km, a service ceiling of 9,000 m, and an endurance of up to 50 minutes.[1]
Lakshya is launched from a zero-length ground or ship-based launcher and recovered via a two-stage parachute system developed by ADE, allowing repeated reuse across multiple training sorties rather than being expended on each mission — distinguishing it from expendable target systems such as Abhyas.[1]
Lakshya has served for decades as the Indian armed forces’ primary high-speed aerial target for validating surface-to-air and air-to-air weapon systems, and its airframe and control architecture formed the technical basis for the later, cheaper and expendable Abhyas High-Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT).[2]
| Type | Remotely piloted high-speed target aircraft (PTA) |
| Developer | Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), DRDO |
| Length / Wingspan | 2.385 m / 5 m |
| MTOW | 705 kg |
| Engine | HAL PTAE-7 turbojet, 3.7 kN thrust |
| Max speed | ~857 km/h (Mach 0.7) |
| Range / Ceiling | 150 km / 9,000 m |
| Endurance | Up to 50 minutes |
| Launch/recovery | Zero-length launcher; two-stage parachute recovery (reusable) |
| Role | Aerial target for missile/gunnery training and testing |