Indian Target Drone on Test Flight Crashes in Balasore

Lakshya_1An unmanned air vehicle(UAV), Lakshya, on a routine trial mission developed by the Defence Research development organisation fell on an agricultural field today triggering panic among the seaside villages of Balasore district. The pilotless target aircraft fell in a field in Chandamuhi village under Baliapal block causing no injury or casualty to anyone.

The PTA was flown from the ITR base, Chandipur, for a training exercise of IAF.The Integrated test range personnel have rushed to the site to salvage the vehicle.

A senior scientist of ITR said ” It was in a routine mission. It is inert. No issue of concern. Everything is safe and care is being taken to remove the vehicle from the site.” A team of scientists and technical officers, headed by the range safety officer of ITR, had reached the spot to recover the UAV, said ITR sources .

Another sources said the vehicle had flown with (carrying) a target for a rocketry practice of IAF. The UAV supposed to fall in the sea water, but inadvertently fell on land, away from the designated place of drop, may be due to some technical glitch. Lakshya- is designed and developed by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a DRDO lab specialising in UAVs and flight control systems. Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA) (named as Lakshya) is a reusable aerial target system remotely operated from ground to provide aerial target for training of gun and Missile crew and Air Defence pilots for all the three Defence Services.

Balasore District Superintendent of Police Niti Sekhar confirmed that the PTA crashed near the agricultural field. However, there has been no loss of life or damage to the property, he said. The SP said a team of Defence Research Development Organisation ( DRDO) rushed to the crash site to ascertain the reason.

As soon as the news of the PTA crashed near the agricultural field with a loud noise spread, the panicked villagers rushed to the site to have a glimpse of the air craft. The villagers also took the photograph of the PTA from their cell phone. Though the exact reason of the crash of the PTA is not yet known.

It is suspected that the Aircraft crashed during target practice due to technical glitches, the SP said. The six-feet long micro light aircraft has been designed for practice of target hitting capabilities and locating enemy position and gauge the accuracy of the anti aircraft missile,sources said. UNI XC-DP AKM 1732

Source: Web India

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