Pilotless target aircraft flight test successful

In an official release, DRDO said the users have indicated their requirement of flying the pilotless target aircraft at very low altitudes (15 to 25 metres above sea level) to simulating trajectory of low-level cruise missiles.

“Accordingly, the ADE prepared Lakshya-2 with necessary hardware and software for meeting the user requirements. The flight test was of 32 minutes duration controlled by the Ground Control Station and the low altitude flight was proved over 10-km range,” it added.
The flight was stable and well controlled. A mobile launcher to launch the PTA from anywhere and GPS to locate for recovery were also used successfully.

The pilotless aircraft also demonstrated its manoeuvring capability simultaneously simulating manoeuvring attacking aircraft. The system has been designed so that two Lakshya targets can be flown and controlled by the Common Ground Control Station.