India's DRDO hands over locally developed landing gear systems for Tapas and SWiFT UAVs

The Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) of India’s state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over retractable landing gear (RLG) systems for fitment onto the Rustom-II/Tapas and the Stealth Wing Flying Testbed (SWiFT) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) currently under development for the Indian military.

The systems, along with 18 types of filters for P-75 (Kalvari)-class submarines, were handed over in a ceremony held on 10 January at CVRDE headquarters in Avadi, southern India, according to a statement issued that same day by the Indian government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB).

The PIB noted that the hydro-electro-mechanical gear system developed for the Tapas medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV, which completed its maiden test flight in November 2016, weighs three tonnes and is being manufactured by local industry at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

The RLG system for the strike-capable SWiFT UAV weighs one tonne, with the PIB stating that the system has been designed and developed “for accommodating the landing gear within the constrained bay volume”.