India has been secretly developing its own unmanned stealth bomber which is officially designated as the Indian Unmanned Strike Air Vehicle (IUSAV).
India has been secretly developing its own unmanned stealth bomber which is officially designated as the Indian Unmanned Strike Air Vehicle (IUSAV).
Development of IUSAV would give India an entry to an exclusive club of countries which are engaged in building unmanned stealth bomber aircraft. The Indian IUSAV will be highly intelligent, autonomous and built to kill.
This stealth bomber is being designed to fly discreetly over enemy territory, pick up high value targets and unleash hell from above. The futuristic stealth bomber draws inspiration from the American B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Such similar projects are currently being pursued in the United States and Europe. A specialised Indian team at aerospace laboratories across the country, led by a secret core team in Bangalore is heading the IUSAV project.
The government of India has officially acknowledged the IUSAV project but has been silent about its details as it is not only ambitious but also more controversial than anything that India has ever attempted.
The scientists building the bomber plan to begin flight tests in three years and hope to deliver a fully operational platform by 2020.
The IUSAV would be controlled from a remote station by a ground crew just like any other UAV. The bombers most potent weapon would be it's inherent invisibility to enemy radar.
Its unique shape will be built using radar absorbent materials and paint, that would contribute to low visibility and stealth. The bomber will be able to fly deep into enemy airspace and back without being detected. The bomber would be armed with precision guided munitions that would be deployed to destroy locked targets.
The IUSAV project might be phenomenally complex, but its mission profile is fairly straightforward. In a war time scenario the IUSAV would be expected to conduct bombing runs into any part of Pakistan and China and fly back to Indian soil without a scratch.
The IUSAV is currently only a concept. Similar aircrafts like the European Neuron and Boeing Phantom Ray are already in flight test. China too is known to have two parallel stealth bomber projects on.
The only operational flying wing bomber in the world today is the iconic American B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The aircraft has been used to devastate Iraq, Afghanistan and the Bosnia during wars.
There's every hope now that the Indian aerospace establishment has not aimed too high with the IUSAV and would deliver on time.
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