DRDO Rustom (Warrior)

History

Despite being one of the largest (if not the largest) buyers of military procurement in the world, the Indian military-industrial complex has been working hard to develop in-house solutions to encourage a more independent Indian military stockpile. The DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) is working on a remotely controlled "Rustom" unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) category to develop an armed version. The origins of the program can be traced back to initiatives taken in the 1980s and 1990s, which have since resulted in an airworthy prototype and its maiden flight on November 11, 2009.

Rustom is expected to see three different variants, the "Rustom-I," the high-flying, high-altitude "Rustom-H" and the armed "Rustom-II." Rustom-I will have a 12-hour closed mission endurance window, while Rustom-H is expected to double and fly at higher altitudes. Rustom-II will be a fully functional, combat-capable UAV (more specifically, "UCAV" = "Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle") that follows the form and function of America's successful Predator drone series.

Externally, the Rustom prototype looks no different from Burt Rutan's light aircraft design. It has a three-legged fixed landing gear, rear main wing attachments and a forward canard arrangement. The vertical fins are set at the main wingtips.

The engine is located in the rear of the fuselage and drives the two-bladed propeller in a "thrust" configuration. Avionics and mission equipment are located at the front of the fuselage. Payload is limited to 165 pounds, while the empty body weighs 1,560 pounds.

Power is provided by an American 4-cylinder 150-horsepower Lycoming O-320 series engine.

The Rustom-H has a completely different physical configuration than the Rustom-I prototype, with a medium-sized straight main wing attachment, bulbous section (similar to the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk), retractable tripod landing gear and The tapered fin is a traditional "T" shape with the fin mounted high. Payload is limited to 770 pounds and empty fuselage weight is 4,000 pounds, while power is provided by 2 Russian NPO-Saturn 36MT series turboprop engines mounted under the wings.

Each of these engines produces 100 horsepower when driving a three-bladed propeller. Rustom-H is scheduled to fly for the first time in 2014.

The Rustom has a top speed of 140 mph and a range of 220 miles (Rustom-I) and 625 miles (Rustom-H). Rustom-I will operate at altitudes up to 26,000 feet, while Rustom-H will operate at nearly 35,000 feet. There are currently no specifications for the Rustom-II UCAV.

As of this writing (Dec 2013), Rustom is under active development. The series is designed to replace the Israeli-origin, globally popular IAI Heron series of unarmed unarmed drones in service with the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

Specification

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