India’s First AI Fighter Jet ‘FWD Supreme Lite’

Why in News?

Recently Indian defence startup Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA) unveiled FWD Supreme Lite touted as India’s first AI-fighter jet.

• Developer – Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA), an Indian defence startup.
• Platform – FWD Supreme Lite.
• Role – Flight technology demonstrator.
• Technology focus – Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled piloting.
• Objective – Demonstrate technologies required for future autonomous/AI-piloted combat aircraft.
• It was designed and developed entirely in India.
• Endurance and range – Up to 30 hours and a range of 3,000 km.
• Operations – To provide AI-driven autonomy for precision strikes,
  • swarm operations
  • real-time Intelligence
  • Surveillance
  • Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Mobbing Doctrine is a modern military air combat strategy developed by FWDA that uses a coordinated swarm of artificial intelligence (AI) piloted fighter jets.

• Significance for India – It represents the growing role of start-ups and private industry in India's defence technology ecosystem.

• The unveiling marks a shift from digital engineering and conceptual development to a physical flying platform.

Global autonomous aircraft race

• In United States,
  • Shield AI's X-BAT is progressing towards its first VTOL flight.
  • Anduril's YFQ-44A Fury is advancing under the US Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort.
• In Germany, Helsing's CA 1 Europa is being developed as an advanced, multi-role autonomous uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA)

• It is an Indian deep-tech defence startup established in 2022.
• Specialised in – Electronic warfare, autonomous combat aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems.
• Headquartered in – Bengaluru, Karnataka, where it operates an advanced manufacturing facility in Electronic City.

Reference

The Economic Times| India’s First AI Fighter Jet ‘FWD Supreme Lite’