DRDO successfully conducts flight test of 'Abhyas'

New Delhi (IANS) The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday conducted successfully flight test of ‘Abhyas, a high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT), which offers a realistic threat scenario for the practice of weapon systems.

The flight test was conducted at the Interim Test Range, Chandipur, in Odisha. 

It was tracked by various radars and electro-optic systems and proved its performance in fully autonomous waypoint navigation mode, an official release said. 

The configuration of 'Abhyas' is designed on an in-line small gas turbine engine and it uses indigenously developed micro-electro-mechanical systems-based system for navigation and guidance. 

The performance of the system was as per simulations carried out and it demonstrated the capability of 'Abhyas' to meet the mission requirement for a cost-effective HEAT. 

'Abhyas' is designed for autonomous flying with the help of an autopilot.

A Luneburg lens in the nose cone improves the radar cross-section of the target for weapons practice. It also has an acoustic miss distance indicator (AMDI) to indicate the missed distance.