India has built up an imperative pace in the ambitious Ghatak stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) program and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has set 2026 as the year by which the certification of the indigenous Dry Kaveri engine would be finished. This is a groundbreaking move that determines the development schedule of the 13 tonne flying wing drone, and this will be implemented by the end of 2029 and flown by 2030-31.
Ghatak UCAV Strategic Significance.
Ghatak is the first step towards the fifth generation stealth in India and is developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of DRDO. The tail-less, low-observable platform has serpentine air intakes, an internal weapons bay with 1.5-tonne capacity (BrahMos-NG, Crystal Maze missiles) and the ability to go on the missions of deep-strike, SEAD/DEAD missions, and this is controlled by AI. It will be a close companion of Tejas MkII and AMCA fighters with a combat radius of 1,000km + and an endurance of 5-8hours in line with the MUM-T doctrine.
The Indian-Air force plans 150 plus to address the GJ-11/WZ-8 stealth drone menace of china along LAC as a method of patching the holes that are slowly fading out of the already meager IAF squadrons. A Ghhatak with a unit cost of 450- 500 crore is considered to weigh cost effective as compared to the imported Predators/MQ-9s and even at 90 percent indigenization is realised.
Dry Kaveri Engine: Make or Buy Milestone.
Ghatak uses the 49 kN Dry Kaveri (non-afterburning version of the 10-year old Kaveri program of GTRE) that minimises infrared emissions. High-altitude chamber trials have been accomplished in 2025 in Russia and Il-76 in-flight validation will be accomplished in the year 2025.
The aggressive certification goal of 2026 at MoD relies on:
- Supervised test validation Final RCS/thermal signature validation
- Full thrust integration with Ghatak airframe mockup engine.
- CCS pass successful dry runs.
When Safran technology was transferred, GTRE was able to overcome challenges of blade cooling and compressor stall like wet Kaveri. L&T (airframe), and HAL (avionics) are free to certification, and are coincidental with Tejas MkII roll.
Salaried Development Program.
| Milestone | Target Date | Key Achievements |
| Dry Kaveri Certification | 2026 | Full tests on IL-76- testing. |
| RPSAConfiguration Freeze | 2025 (Achieved) | DX(Z)- standard completed |
| Prototype Rollout | Late 2029-Early 2030 | AIRframe production at L&T starts |
| Maiden Flight | 2030-Early 2031 | SWiFT tech provenor |
| IAF Induction | Early 2030s | 30-50 by 2035 |
In 2022-23, a smaller SWiFT testbed flew successfully and made an autonomous landing and takeoff as well as flying wing stability. The Kiran jet will begin flight tests in dry engine (flight tests) in the start of 2026.
Advantage and Problems with Technology.
The benefit of Gallium nitride AESA radar, IRST, UEWS, suite and network-centric warfare, which is linked to Gallium nitride, is a relationship with IACCS of IAF. Astra is armed with Astra BVRAAMs in internal bay and can saturate attacks by use of swarm capability.
Still, challenges exist: the leap towards AI autonomy cannot be made without simulation and composites cannot withstand the stealth coating, as well as the coating needs a manufacturing scale up, even though the supply chain is constrained. DRDO targets 24 units/year in 2035 by the private sector (L&T, Tata).
Bharat Action of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The symbolism of Ghatak represents Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the absence of the need to rely on GE F-414 (Tejas) or imported UAVs. 25,000 loan scheme is the cultivation of ecosystem: ADE (design), GTRE (engine), HAL/L&T (manufacturing). Potential threat during post induction of exports to QUAD partners.
2026 appears transformational: Dry Kaveri certification propulsion-airframe alignment, time wastes, the cause of project death, counteracted in previous projects like AURA. Ghadak levels IAF and Chinese airpower in the unmanned airpower by 2030s using Chinese stealth drones.
This is due to the fact that MoD plans clear the aerospace frontier in India: miniature test-beds to squadron-level stealth hunters. Ghatak is no longer a drone, it is the strategy of autonomy.
