Lockheed-sponsored Indian Arush UAV Steps Up

April 10, 2012 by Shiv Aroor LIVEFIST

This is the Arush X1 a prototype surveillance UAV being developed by the Delhi Tech University with funding and engineering support from Lockheed-Martin. Being developed under the Next Generation Urban Unmanned Air System Development Project, the UAV is aimed at persistent surveillance over an urban setting. Designed and built to meet design specifications that were put down by Lockheed's engineers in 2009, the Arush X1 has been test-flown eight times so far (first in Dec 2011), and the team is understood to be attempting a capability expansion on the system.

"Work on the project formally began in January 2010 and the first prototype flew in December 2011, making it among the fastest design-to-fly projects in aircraft developmental history, especially in India by students," says Gaurav Gupta, team leader on the project.