Hindustan Aeronautics reports the successful demonstration flight of a 10kg rotary wing unmanned aerial vehicle (RUAV) in Bangalore.

The RUAV — being developed for defence and paramilitary forces and homeland security applications — features a two-stroke petrol engine, twin-blade main rotor and tail rotor, payload capability of 2.5kg and a live-stream video camera. Range is 8-10km with an endurance of one hour.

The flight lasted for about ten minutes during which the Attitude Control Attitude Hold (ACAH) mode, Position Control, Position Hold mode (autonomous hover), low speed flight in forward, backward and sideward directions, were demonstrated.

The video feed from onboard the helicopter was streamed live and shown on the dedicated video receiver. The status of the helicopter, its parameters and its real-time position on the map were also shown.

To achieve self-reliance in the aviation field and to enhance its R&D efforts, HAL is working closely with academia and has established chairs at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) (Madras, Roorkee, Kharagpur, Bombay, Kanpur) and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

The RUAV is being developed in association with IIT Kanpur and is the first outcome of HAL’s tie-ups with academia.

HAL says the RUAV demonstrates the capability of its Rotary Wing R&D Centre (RWR&DC) to undertake development of larger UAVs capable of carrying weapons payloads.

According to HAL, the programme has led to successful development of control laws, a Fly By Wire system for helicopters and other associated technologies like autonomous navigation system, ground control system etc.