The Indian Air Force has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the design and development of ‘Vayu Baan’, a helicopter-dropped targeting drone, marking a significant step in indigenizing aerial strike capabilities.
New Delhi: The Indian Air Force has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the design and development of ‘Vayu Baan’, a helicopter-dropped targeting drone, marking a significant step in indigenizing aerial strike capabilities. As per the RFP, a total of 10 drone units are required, along with two airborne control stations, two ground control stations, and associated payloads and spares.
The RFP has been issued by the Indian Air Force’s Regional Aerospace Innovation Division-Gandhinagar (RAID-GN).
Let’s know about Vayu Baan in details
Conceived as an air-launched loitering munition and surveillance platform, the Vayu Baan is designed to significantly enhance the offensive punch of rotary-wing assets.
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The drone will be engineered to be dropped from a helicopter hatch or door, fall to a safe distance, and then autonomously deploy wings for guided flight, operable by both the airborne launch platform and a ground control station.
The RFP mandates a minimum control range of 10 kilometres from the launching platform, with autonomous range exceeding 50 kilometres at 30 minutes endurance, or 80 kilometres at 15 minutes.
The system must operate between 150 feet and 8,000 feet altitude, supporting both launch and operational envelopes.
The system should have a payload capacity of 500 to 1,000 grammes, with interchangeable mountings for three payload types -- an EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infra-Red) sensor suite for surveillance and target identification, a minimum 500-gramme warhead for strike missions, and provision for integration with 57mm and 80mm rockets -- though the rockets themselves are not a deliverable under the contract.
The system must also demonstrate GNSS-denied navigation capability, AI-based target identification, real-time telemetry, and configurable strike profiles.
As per the RFP, the project must be completed in all respects with full delivery and installation within 12 Months from the effective date of contract signing.
