India’s ‘Predator’ To Take Off In A Year

India’s Rustom-2/H medium altitude long endurance UAS is scheduled to make its first flight in February 2014. As I’ve reported here before, the platform will be built in two variants, a base surveillance version and an armed strike version on the lines of the MQ-1 Predator. Prototypes will begin ground testing and ground systems checks in August this year, according to ADE officials I spoke to at Aero India. The picture here is from a poster I saw detailing the platform’s landing gear.
In June last year, I picked up this slide that for the first time articulates the Rustom-2/H’s strike profile. And in April 2011, I’d chanced upon information about a stand-off extended range version of the HELINA anti-armour weapon that would be potentially integrated on the Rustom-2/H in the future.

6 thoughts on “India’s ‘Predator’ To Take Off In A Year”

  1. Muh se mumfali nehi tod sakte….gand se akhrot todne ki baat karte hai. Pehle LCA-MK1 aur MK-2 to bana lo…fir LCH bana…and the missiles for these aircrafts. Chale drone banane…bas paise chapne ke waste projects banate hai…

  2. My goodness, could it look anymore ugly! Are we sure this wasn't made by a 5 year old. Oh wait, it's the DRDO/HAL; that explains it.

  3. IMO given the payload capacity of RUSTOM-2, CLGM will be choice of weapon that considering if number of weapons per AC has to be more than 2, if not then MMW seeker equipped NAG would surely go….Thanks for info Shiv.

  4. Great step forward. We should get 25 of these planes flying and then develop it's next variant which looks more 'cool'. I see this as the Rudra (ugly but does the job) and LCH (mean looking and all) will follow soon.

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