What is TAPAS UAV?

Feb. 14, 2023

Recently, the Prime Minister of India has shared aerial coverage of Ground and Air displays captured from an indigenously developed Medium Altitude Long Endurance TAPAS UAV during rehearsal from a height of 12000 feet.

About TAPAS UAV:

It is known as Tapas-BH (Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance-Beyond Horizon 201), formerly referred to as Rustom-II.
The UAV is named after Rustom Damania, a former professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
It is designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru with production partners being Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Limited.
It is being developed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles and is capable of carrying different combinations of advanced payloads and capable of auto-landing among others.
It is being designed to acquire real-time, high-quality pictures and signal intelligence from fields of concern at medium to long ranges.
Technologically it matches contemporary UAVs available and is also cheaper than the imported ones.