Rudrastra VTOL Drone: A powerful new drone called Rudrastra is changing how India handles border threats. Built to take off straight up like a helicopter and then fly forward like a plane, this drone is designed for both spying and striking. It uses six lift rotors along with a back pusher propeller and has long, thin wings that help it fly for long distances. It can lift off without a runway and fly as far as 170 kilometers in one mission. What’s more impressive is that it can stay in the air for one and a half hours while sending secure video even from more than 50 kilometers away.
Even though it weighs only 45 kilograms, Rudrastra can carry a deadly 8 kg warhead made to hit people or light-armored vehicles, reported ET. The warhead explodes just before hitting the ground, which makes it even more dangerous. It has a camera system that works both day and night, a laser to help aim at the target, and smart systems that help it return home on its own. The same drone can fly quietly just to watch, or it can find a target and attack, all in one mission.
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Made in India
Rudrastra is not some imported machine. It was made in Nagpur by Solar Industries’ drone division called SDAL. It won a big competition that had 40 other drones in it, and only four made it to the final round where they had to do live-fire tests. Before that, the team tested it in Maharashtra on the ground and with engines to make sure everything worked.
All the important parts like the frame, engine, seeker, and warhead are made in India. This fits the country’s goal of being self-reliant in defense, a move supported by DRDO’s engine indigenisation project that uses 180-220 horsepower powerplants.
One thing that makes Rudrastra special is its ability to fly like a drone and also take off vertically. This gives it a big edge over older drones from other countries like Israel. Even India’s own Rustom-I, which is a fixed-wing drone, can’t do that. Rudrastra can also fly well in high places like mountains, which is useful in areas like the Line of Control.
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Other countries like Türkiye and Iran have drones like Kargu and Farpad, but they either can’t carry as much or need something else to launch them. Rudrastra doesn’t have that problem. It can carry more weight, fly on its own, and still stay in the air for a good amount of time.
This drone gives the Indian Army a tool they can carry to faraway places. It can help soldiers watch over secret routes near the border, guide artillery from far away, and attack without sending in helicopters. This is especially helpful after the many drone attacks in 2024. The Army won’t have to risk pilots anymore in those areas. It also shows nearby countries like China and Pakistan that India is catching up in drone technology, especially when it comes to making its own rotary-wing drones that work at high altitudes like in Tibet and the Karakoram.
