India Navy Plans to Procure TAPAS UAV for Andaman Surveillance,

Defense News ,India :- In response to mounting criticism for falling short of meeting the Indian military's expectations in developing an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is taking steps to rescue the Tapas BH-201 project, which has incurred an expenditure of nearly Rs 1,800 crore over the past 13 years.

The Tapas BH-201, categorized as a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) drone, has been in development since February 2011 at DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bengaluru. Its first test flight took place in 2016. However, recent disappointment surfaced as the armed forces abandoned the project due to its failure to meet the required parameters after years of development.

Last September, Tapas BH-201 was closed as a 'Mission Mode' project, signifying a high-priority, focused, and time-bound initiative with specific operational requirements. With the project facing setbacks, the developers have been instructed to 'freeze the configuration'—a technical term denoting the finalization of the achieved capabilities of a weapons system. This step is essential for the required certification to make the drone airworthy.

The developers have sought the assistance of the DRDO's Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, a regulatory body responsible for airworthiness certification. Certification will involve testing four basic parameters: aerodynamics, controllers, propulsion, and structure.

Highlighting the necessity of setting deadlines, a key defense ministry official emphasized the importance of finalizing a platform's capabilities or configuration. The Indian Navy has expressed interest in employing the Tapas drone for surveillance over the Andamans, but this plan hinges on obtaining an airworthiness certificate.

Recognizing the limitations of the Tapas BH-201, the Indian Army recently incorporated four satcom-enabled Heron Mark-II UAVs from Israel. Additionally, India is procuring 31 armed MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones from the United States, with the Indian Navy slated to receive 15 of these high-altitude long endurance drones. The Indian Army and Indian Air Force will each acquire eight drones, accompanied by a comprehensive package including missiles, bombs, communications, and surveillance equipment.

The challenge now facing the Tapas BH-201 developers is to obtain certification for the drone platform. Despite achieving a flying endurance of around 18 hours at an altitude of 28,000 feet, the drone falls short of the MALE remotely-piloted aircraft requirement to reach at least 30,000 feet within 24 hours.

Originally sanctioned in 2011 with a budget of approximately Rs 1,541 crore and a deadline of 66 months for completion by August 2016, the Tapas BH-201 project experienced multiple extensions, escalating the cost to Rs 1,786 crore. The initial plan aimed to develop 76 Tapas drones, allocated for the army, air force, and navy.