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India's KAL Attack Drone Completes Pokhran Test, Claims 1,000-km Range
M
Moneycontrol•21-09-2026, 07:42
India's KAL Attack Drone Completes Pokhran Test, Claims 1,000-km Range
- •Noida-based IG Defence successfully flight-tested its KAL long-range one-way attack drone at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan.
- •The KAL drone, designed for one-way missions, boasts a claimed range of up to 1,000 km, 7-8 hours endurance, and a 50 kg payload capacity.
- •It can operate at altitudes up to 5,000 meters and uses multi-band GNSS with an inertial navigation system for autonomous flight.
- •KAL can be configured to engage radar installations, air-defense systems, and infrastructure, subject to operational approvals.
- •The test follows the Indian Air Force's Dronathon event at Pokhran, where IG Defence also demonstrated its T-SHUL BEAM counter-drone system.
Key Questions Answered
The KAL attack drone features a range of up to 1,000 km, an endurance of seven to eight hours, a payload capacity of up to 50 kg, and an operating altitude of up to 5,000 metres above mean sea level.
The flight test for the KAL long-range one-way attack drone took place at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, where it was launched from a vehicle-mounted platform.
The KAL drone combines multi-band global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals with an inertial navigation system to execute its autonomous flight missions.
