From Bengaluru to Lisbon: How India’s First AI Combat Aircraft ‘Kaal Bhairava’ Aims For NATO Markets

Bengaluru-based Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA) and European major SKETCHPIXEL LDA forged partnership to manufacture AI (artificial intelligence) combat aircraft – Kaal Bhairava in Portugal, for the first time. Portugal is a NATO member state.

New Delhi: Bengaluru-based Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA) and European major SKETCHPIXEL LDA forged partnership to manufacture AI (Artificial intelligence) combat aircraft – Kaal Bhairava in Portugal, for the first time. Portugal is a NATO member state.

SKETCHPIXEL LDA is known for building advanced fighter jet simulation systems for aircraft like the F-16.

All about Kaal Bhairava

Known as India’s first AI combat aircraft, Kaal Bhairava is a MALE (medium altitude long endurance) autonomous combat aircraft with 3000-km range and 30+ hours endurance.

The platform features AI-driven target recognition, swarm coordination capabilities, and encrypted communication systems.

“Kaal Bhairava represents FWDA’s broader focus on combining intelligence, scalability, and cost-efficiency in defence systems. Unlike traditional aerospace models centred on high-cost platforms, the AI warfare company is building an ecosystem of autonomous airpower, swarm systems, and next-generation air defence, aligned with the global shift toward scalable, cost-efficient warfare systems,” the company said.

Equipped with swarm warfare capabilities, the Kaal Bhairava platform enables multi-angle precision strikes and saturates enemy air defence systems by deploying coordinated autonomous swarms making it a force multiplier for future warfare.

The company claimed that 10 Kaal Bhairavas can match the reconnaissance power of a single Predator at a fraction of the cost.

Under the agreement, SKETCHPIXEL will contribute simulation technologies, AI integration, communications systems, and interoperability capabilities for the platform while FWDA retains intellectual property rights to the core autonomous systems and airframe design.

The Portugal hub is said to represent the first international node under Operation 777, a long-term strategic initiative envisioned by Suhas Tejaskanda, Founder and CEO of Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace.

First announced during the unveiling of the Kaal Bhairava platform in 2025, the initiative aims to establish international manufacturing, integration, and deployment partnerships for Indian-origin autonomous warfare systems across seven continents and seventy-seven countries. Asianet Newsable had reported then.

While speaking on the partnership, he said, “This collaboration reflects growing international interest in Indian-designed autonomous systems and demonstrates the potential for Indian warfare technologies to participate in global manufacturing ecosystems.”

“Operation 777 is about taking our systems beyond borders with an aim to build a globally distributed defence technology network originating from India.”

“Portugal’s strategic location and access to the NATO ecosystem strengthen our access into European defence networks, collaborative opportunities, and global deployment pathways. The larger vision is to help position India among the world’s top defence exporters”, he further added.

Miguel Abrue, CEO, SKETCHPIXEL, mentioned, “Each step of FWD's deep engineering, cutting-edge electronics, AI and chip analysis will be brought together with KEYDEF's simulation, AI, interoperability, and military integration capabilities. From the structural design, board design, and construction, firmware development, communications, control, and validation are performed under complete control, ensuring maximum standards of safety, resilience, and technological sovereignty.”

“The new communication systems, LVC interoperability, and AI modules will be coded together in KEYDEF's laboratories in Portugal and FWD's in India. The key to this development is a regular exchange of teams and knowledge. We will start with the FWD Kaalabheirav project for Portugal and NATO countries.”