Bengaluru: In a defining leap for India’s defence landscape, Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace (FWDA) recently announced the readiness of the nation’s first indigenous, export-ready Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Autonomous Combat Aircraft.
The event took place at The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru.
Inspired by Kaala Bhairav, the eternal guardian of time, the platform is designed, developed and manufactured entirely on home soil. The aircraft is engineered to deliver an endurance of up to 30 hours and a range of 3,000 km.
After the video screening of the test flight, the company announced that the platform has secured a landmark export order from a South Asian nation of $25 million as part of a $30 million total strategic deal.
This development showcases the world’s growing reliance on Indian innovation to secure their skies and positions India as a leading defence innovator and trusted supplier of advanced AI warfare platforms.
Speaking at the occasion, Suhas Tejaskanda, Founder and CEO of FWDA, said, “For decades, India has relied on foreign systems like Predator and Israeli Searcher models, but at a high strategic cost, from embedded kill-switch vulnerabilities to critical flight data routed through external servers. The global geopolitical landscape is shifting rapidly. India’s strategic relations with the U.S. have taken a new turn this year, given that the much-touted defence deal signed last year should be revisited.”
“With tightening U.S. defence regulations and shifting global policies, India cannot afford digital dependency during wartime. Dependence on foreign systems could limit India’s strategic autonomy, as sensitive operational data may be routed through external networks and remain accessible to overseas agencies,” he added.
Built under the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the FWD Kaala Bhairav E2A2 (Economic and Efficient Autonomous Aircraft) delivers advanced AI powered combat readiness at just one-tenth the cost of Predator-class systems like the MQ-9 Reaper.
Unlike expensive imports that bring logistical hurdles and vulnerabilities, Kaala Bhairav offers superior combat value and resilience. Equipped with swarm warfare capabilities, the platform enables multi-angle precision strikes and saturates enemy air defence systems by deploying coordinated autonomous swarms making it a force multiplier for future warfare.
Specifications:
Series | E2A2 (Economic and Efficient Autonomous Aircraft) |
Configuration | Twin Boom |
Wing Span | 6.5 Metres (Tip to tip) |
Payload | 91 kg payload (EOIR+ missiles/laser guided rocket + fuel) |
Altitude | Flight altitudes of 20,000 feet |
Range | 3,000 km with SATCOM |
Endurance | Up to 30 hours |
AI Powered Autonomy | Adaptive targeting, autonomous flight pathing and live combat decision-making |
Talking about battlefield economics, 10 Kaala Bhairavs can match the reconnaissance power of a single Predator at a fraction of the cost. While losing a Predator can cost up to Rs. 1,000 crore, the same investment can field an entire Kaala Bhairav fleet, ensuring no single loss cripples mission capabilities.
Additionally, FWD Kaala Bhairav provides a zero foreign OEM dependency with every key technology developed in-house, ensuring a secure, sanctions-proof independent supply chain with no operational bottlenecks, the company said.
The autonomous aircraft offers an indigenous MRO ecosystem, enabling faster turnaround, lower lifecycle costs, and uninterrupted access to critical spares.
Designed as a sovereign, modular, and exportable alternative to existing expensive foreign systems, the export-ready platform marks India’s shift from being one of the world’s largest arms importers to an emerging global exporter of next-generation defence technology.
“Kaala Bhairav stands as the trusted Guardian Beyond Time, an AI-powered sentinel securing nations’ skies, inspiring global trust, extending its strategic reach, and redefining the future of autonomous warfare,” added Tejaskanda.
With this strategic leap, the company envisions its global expansion and is ready to launch Mission 777, an ambitious plan to establish seven global headquarters across seventy-seven countries within the next five years, reinforcing India’s leadership in AI-powered warfare.
Key highlights
- The platform has secured a $25M export order from a South Asian nation, as a part of a $30M total deal
- India’s Kaala Bhairav, gets ready for MALE UAV requirement from armed forces
- It is the nation’s Guardian Beyond Time, an AI-powered sentinel securing nations’ skies and inspiring global trust
- Engineered to deliver up to 30-hour endurance and 3,000 km range
- Losing a Predator costs up to Rs. 1,000 crore while the same investment can deploy an entire fleet of Kaala Bhairavs, ensuring no single loss cripples mission capability.
- 80 percent indigenous, the platform ensures, no kill-switch risks and no foreign-controlled data routing, securing operational independence
- Positioned At 1/10th the cost of the Predator, Kaala Bhairav enables swarm warfare, multi-angle precision strikes, and ISR redundancy
