Indian Navy to Pioneer Deck-Based Combat Drone Development with Indigenous Dry Kaveri Engine, Adapting Air Force's Ghatak UCAV for Sea

The Indian Navy is embarking on a groundbreaking initiative to develop a deck-based Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) specifically designed for carrier operations. This ambitious project will leverage the Ghatak UCAV, currently under development for the Indian Air Force (IAF), and will be powered by the indigenous Dry Kaveri engine.

The Navy has initiated discussions with the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), the agency responsible for the Ghatak UCAV's development, to explore the feasibility of modifying the platform for naval use. The Ghatak, originally conceived as a 13-ton stealth UCAV for deep-strike missions, will undergo significant modifications to meet the unique demands of carrier operations.

These modifications include reinforcing the undercarriage to withstand the stresses of carrier landings and incorporating a tail hook for arrested landings. These additions are expected to increase the UCAV's weight to approximately 14 tons or more.

ADE faces the challenge of maintaining the UCAV's performance and operational efficiency despite the weight increase. This involves optimizing fuel capacity, payload, and maneuverability to ensure the drone can effectively operate from a carrier deck.

The naval variant of the Ghatak will be powered by the Dry Kaveri engine, a non-afterburning version of the Kaveri engine. This choice is driven by the engine's fuel efficiency and lower infrared signature, which align with the UCAV's stealth and endurance requirements. However, further optimization will be necessary to adapt the engine for naval operations.

This initiative aligns with the Indian Navy's strategic vision to integrate unmanned systems into its aviation capabilities. The upcoming Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-II (IAC-II) is being designed with considerations for operating UCAVs, including Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs.

The deck-based UCAV is envisioned to operate alongside manned aircraft, providing a versatile mix of capabilities, including deep strikes, surveillance, and potentially electronic warfare. This synergy is expected to enhance the Navy's strategic reach and combat effectiveness significantly.

 

[Senapati]

ADA has better experience in Naval Tejas .ADA should handel this and more likely to give a successful N-UCAV to Navy.

 

[Prashant]

Navy should get more budget given their openness to new tech and local manufacturing support

 

[sanket]

That's very good news & support from the Navy for having an indigenous platform for the Naval variant. That shows how important the dry Kaveri engine is. Mark my words, it will give thrust between 50 to 54 kN for dry Kaveri in high altitude tests.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Like Naval LCA, single engine may be a limiting factor for the Navy.

 

[sanket]

Like Naval LCA, single engine may be a limiting factor for the Navy.

It's not a manned variant, it's unmanned, so no limiting factor. Twin engines are for the safety of pilots for landing safely on deck even if one engine fails.

 

[Anant]

Like Naval LCA, single engine may be a limiting factor for the Navy.

Not as much for a drone. Most drones are single-engines anyways.

 

[Dipesh Debnath]

Like Naval LCA, single engine may be a limiting factor for the Navy.

Flying slow is ok for MALE drones as the main idea is to get the job done in loitering mode, undetected and in long-endurance mode. Drones carry small payloads and no humans, so single engines are fine.

 

[P.K Senapati]

First, the dry version of the Kaveri engine flight test should be successfully completed and cleared for aircraft integration.

The naval version of UCAV will not be a problem after proving the concept and reliability in the present UCAV configuration.

ADA and DRDO-ADE can handle two separate projects and cooperate with each other.