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Ahead of the flying debut of the DRDO-developed Medium Altitude Long Endurance class unmanned aerial vehicle TAPAS-BH (Tactical Aerial Platform for Advanced Surveillance – Beyond Horizon) at ‘Aero India’ next week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday retweeted a video captioning it “very interesting”. (ALSO READ: PM Modi shares bird’s eye view of ‘spectacular’ Mumbai from his chopper. Watch)
TAPAS UAV can be seen capturing the Aero India event’s rehearsal from a height of 12000 feet. The ‘Made in India’ UAV will have its official debut during the air show in Bengaluru.
Sharing the footage taken by TAPAS UAV on Twitter, DRDO wrote, “Aerial coverage of Ground and Air display captured from indigenously developed Medium Altitude Long Endurance TAPAS UAV during rehearsal from a height of 12,000 feet today.” (ALSO READ: Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: PM Modi inaugurates 246-km stretch from Dausa)
What is TAPAS UAV?
1. TAPAS-BH, which expands into Tactical Aerial Platform for Advanced Surveillance – Beyond Horizon, is an indigenous medium altitude long endurance class unmanned aerial vehicle.
2. During the Aero India air show and aviation display, it will make its flying debut. It will demonstrate its powers and cover both static and aerial shows. The aerial footage will be live-streamed throughout the venue, DRDO said in a statement.
3. TAPAS is DRDO’s response to the ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Tracking, and Reconnaissance) requirements of the tri-services. (ALSO READ: Aero India 2023: Five things to know about this biennial show in Bengaluru)
4. The UAV has a range of more than 18 hours and can operate at altitudes of up to 28,000 feet.
5. TAPAS can fly autonomously or be remotely controlled, depending on pre-programmed flight plans, and it can operate in both daylight and darkness.
The 14th Aero India will be held in Bengaluru between February 13-17. In the five-day air show, a total of 809 exhibitors will take part, including 110 foreign exhibitors. The show will be open to the general public on February 16 and 17. Visitors can buy tickets that cost Rs. 2500 from the event’s official website.