India's first indigenous long-range attack drone KAL tested at Pokhran

The vehicle-launched drone has a range of 1,000 km, endurance of up to eight hours and a 50 kg payload capacity, and is designed for precision strikes on designated targets

India’s first indigenous long-range drone, KAL, was successfully flight-tested at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan, marking a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to develop a state-of-the-art unmanned strike system.

 

Designed and developed by Noida-headquartered defence technology company IG Defence, the 1,000-km-range one-way attack drone was test-flown from a vehicle-mounted launch platform, the company said on Sunday.

 

The trial validated the system’s integrated airframe, propulsion, avionics, navigation and mission architecture. The company described the successful test as a landmark moment in its efforts to develop an Indian long-range unmanned strike capability.

 

KAL has been designed for the emerging class of long-range one-way attack drones, often referred to as “kamikaze” or loitering-type strike platforms, in which the aircraft is intended for a one-way mission against a designated target.

 

 

The drone has a range of up to 1,000 km, an endurance of seven to eight hours, a payload capacity of up to 50 kg and an operating altitude of up to 5,000 metres above mean sea level.

 

The drone incorporates a navigation architecture combining multi-band GNSS and inertial navigation systems (INS), enabling autonomous flight through its mission profile.

 

According to the company, KAL can be deployed for precision engagement of designated targets, including infrastructure, radar installations, air-defence systems and other strategic targets, depending on mission configuration and operational authorisations.

 

The use of a vehicle-mounted platform for the Pokhran trial is significant from an operational standpoint because a road-mobile launch configuration can allow such systems to be deployed from dispersed locations rather than relying on fixed launch infrastructure, the company said.

 

The successful test at Pokhran came against the backdrop of the rapidly expanding use of long-range one-way attack drones in contemporary conflicts. The Russia-Ukraine war has demonstrated how comparatively low-cost unmanned platforms can be employed for long-range strikes, place sustained pressure on air-defence networks and support high-volume attack campaigns. Similar Shahed-class systems have also appeared in the Middle East and in attacks involving maritime targets in the Red Sea.

 

Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, founder and chief executive officer of IG Defence, said the Pokhran trial marked a milestone for both the company and India’s efforts towards self-reliance in advanced defence technology.

 

“Recent conflicts have demonstrated the growing importance of long-range one-way attack drones in precision-strike and air-defence operations. Such drones are becoming an important element of modern warfare and influencing how nations think about precision strikes, air defence and strategic deterrence. KAL has been designed around the emerging requirements, including long range, autonomous operation, payload capability and scalable indigenous production,” he said.

 

The system forms part of the company’s long-range precision-strike portfolio. It can also be integrated with IG Defence’s GRID battle management system, an AI-powered command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (C5ISRT) architecture intended to coordinate unmanned platforms and battlefield information.

 

KAL is ready to enter the international market, subject to the requisite approvals from the government of India and export clearances. Several Gulf nations have evinced interest in procuring the drone for their strategic and battlefield requirements.

 

Apart from KAL, IG Defence is also developing a broader portfolio of indigenous defence technologies spanning long-range unmanned strike systems, interceptor drones, FPV combat drones, autonomous UAVs, counter-UAS systems, electronic warfare, AI-enabled swarm technologies, tactical robotics and logistics drones.

 

“For us, this is not simply about developing another drone. It is about building a sovereign Indian capability in a domain that is rapidly becoming strategically important. We believe India must have the ability to design, develop and manufacture such systems domestically, while creating technologies that can also serve the requirements of friendly nations,” Sanghapriya added.