Flying Wedge unveils static prototype of its autonomous fighter jet

Bengaluru-based Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace has unveiled a static prototype of the FWD Supreme, a 1.5-tonne-class AI-driven autonomous fighter aircraft, BusinessLine reports. The company says the configuration is frozen and detailed design is halfway complete. The proposed uncrewed jet is designed for a 350 kg payload, twin engines of 5 kN thrust each, a top speed of Mach 0.8-0.85, a 1,500 km range and endurance of over two hours, with an internal weapon bay and an optionally manned variant. A lighter 250 kg variant, meant both as a test bed and a standalone product, has completed taxi trials and is targeted for CEMILAC and NATO certification after remaining tests in about two months. Founder and CEO Suhas Tejaskanda said the aircraft would use DRDO's Manik engine if available - raising indigenous content to 80% from 60% - with Czech engine maker PBS as a fallback. The company positions the aircraft as India's entry into an uncrewed fighter field led by the US, China and Turkey; the prototype shown is static, not a flying vehicle.

DTT summary based on BusinessLine's report. The full article is on the publisher's site.