Bengaluru: As per a report in Economic Times, Tata Group will develop and manufacture a military aircraft in India, having acquired intellectual property rights for a German-origin platform. 

The website added that indigenous sensors and payloads will be integrated to convert it into an intelligence gathering asset.

It is to be noted that the aircraft with a high-altitude flyable ability, with twin-engine, performs multiple roles. It includes signal intelligence and cross-border surveillance. It will arrive in India in the next three months. 

What is to be noted more here is that till now, the military aircraft was being developed by the HAL, but now Tata has stepped in. 

More on it as per the website: 

Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) will showcase the capabilities of the aircraft at the AeroIndia in Bengaluru next week. Though the company has not shared details of the design, the aircraft is likely to be based on the Grob G 180 SPn – a German-made jet that never reached serial production due to financial strains.

The company sources said the aircraft it is developing is designed for flying at 41,000 feet altitude with a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet and can be used for intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) purposes. It is designed to land on grass and gravel. The low-wing, twin-engine composite aircraft is expected to have a range of 1800 nautical miles and 6-7 hours endurance with a payload capacity in excess of 1,000 kg.

“We are now focusing on modifying the aircraft to fit special payloads so that it can undertake a demonstration of surveillance capabilities. For a country like India, with multiple mountain ranges spread across the country, including on international borders, this capacity is extremely vital. India has been dependent on foreign suppliers to meet this need,” said Sukaran Singh, MD of TASL.