Bengaluru-headquartered Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace (FWDA) on Tuesday announced the successful maiden flight of an indigenous unmanned bomber aircraft, the FWD 200B.

Classified as a Medium Altitude (15,000 feet) Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the FWD 200B is equipped with optical payloads for surveillance and missile-like weapons for air strikes and bombing, the FWDA Founder and CEO Suhas Tejaskanda has said.

"The aircraft's aerodynamics design, airframe, propulsion systems, control systems, and electronics are all made in India at FWDA's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility of 12,000 sq. ft built on 1.5-acre land, located at Electronic City, Bengaluru," he said.

FWD 200B features a wingspan of five metres and a length of 3.5 metres. It has a maximum take-off weight of 102 kg and a payload capacity of 30 kg, the company says.

It can fly at a cruise speed of 152 km per hour, with a maximum speed of 250 km per hour. Its runway requirement is just 300 metres allowing it to operate from shorter airstrips, Tejaskanda says.

"With an endurance of seven hours and a range of 800 km, the FWD 200B ensures extended mission capabilities, providing substantial coverage without the need for frequent refueling or landing," he said.

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