DRDO's Indigenous drone, Rustom-II successfully takes first flight

The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on 16 November 2016 successfully carried out maiden flight of TAPAS 201 (RUSTOM – II), a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
●    The test flight took place from Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Chitradurga, a newly developed flight test range for the testing of UAVs and manned aircraft. 
●    It was designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), the Bangalore-based premier lab of DRDO. 
●    It is the first R&D prototype UAV which got the certification and qualification for the first flight from the Center for Military Airworthiness & Certification and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance.
●    It will carry out the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) roles for the three Armed Forces with an endurance of 24 hours. 
●    It is capable to carry diverse combinations of payloads like Medium Range Electro Optic (MREO), Long Range Electro Optic (LREO), Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communication Intelligence (COMINT) and Situational Awareness Payloads (SAP). 
●    The data link for the UAV was developed by Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL) of DRDO.