Indian AI Combat Drone ‘Kaal Bhairava’ Enters European Defence Manufacturing Network

FWDA, however, will continue to retain intellectual property rights related to the aircraft’s autonomous systems and airframe design.

Kaal Bhairava has been designed as a medium-altitude, long-endurance autonomous combat aircraft with a range of 3,000 kilometres and an operational endurance of more than 30 hours.

The aircraft is equipped with AI-driven target recognition systems, encrypted communications, and swarm coordination capabilities, positioning it among next-generation autonomous warfare platforms.

Focus on autonomous warfare ecosystem

Unlike traditional aerospace programmes that focus heavily on expensive manned platforms, FWDA is building an ecosystem centred around autonomous airpower, swarm technologies, and advanced air defence systems.

Commenting on the development, FWDA founder and CEO Suhas Tejaskanda said the partnership reflects increasing global interest in Indian-designed autonomous warfare technologies and demonstrates how Indian defence innovation is beginning to integrate into global manufacturing ecosystems.

He added that Portugal’s strategic location and access to NATO-linked defence networks would help the company expand collaborative opportunities across Europe and support future global deployment pathways for its technologies.

“The larger objective is to help position India among the world’s leading defence exporters,” he stated.

SKETCHPIXEL CEO Miguel Abrue said the collaboration would combine FWDA’s expertise in engineering, electronics, AI systems, and chip analysis with SKETCHPIXEL’s capabilities in simulation, interoperability, and military integration.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/tech/indian-ai-combat-drone-kaal-bhairava-enters-european-defence-manufacturing-network