Bangalore
Bengaluru-based Flying Ways Defence and Aerospace (FWDA) company announced the successful first flight of indigenously developed unmanned bomber aircraft ‘FWD 200B’. Classified as a ‘Medium Altitude (15,000 feet) Long Endurance’ (MAIL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the FWD 200B is equipped with ‘optical payload’ required for surveillance and weapons like missiles for air strikes and bombing, FWDA Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Suhas Tejaskand told reporters here.
“The aircraft’s aerodynamic design, airframe, propulsion system, control system, electronics are all built in India at FWDA’s state-of-the-art manufacturing unit, spread over 12,000 sq ft built on 1.5 acres of land and located at Electronic City, Bengaluru,” he said.
The company said that the wingspan of FWD- 200B is five meters and its length is 3.5 meters. Its maximum take-off weight can be 102 kg and its payload capacity is 30 kg.
Suhas Tejaskand said that it can fly at a cruise speed of 152 kilometers per hour, with a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour. He said that it requires only 300 meters of runway, so it can operate even from small airstrips.
