On display at Aero India 2025 is the indigenously developed CATS WARRIOR.
The CATS Warrior is an autonomous wingman drone being developed to support Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets. Designed to operate under the command of a mothership, it will undertake missions such as reconnaissance, absorbing enemy fire, striking targets using internal and external weapons, or even executing self-sacrificial attacks when necessary.
The CATS Warrior is an autonomous wingman drone being developed to support Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets. Designed to operate under the command of a mothership, it will undertake missions such as reconnaissance, absorbing enemy fire, striking targets using internal and external weapons, or even executing self-sacrificial attacks when necessary.
Key Specifications:
- Cruise Speed: 790 km/h (490 mph, 430 knots)
- Range: 1,500 km (930 mi, 810 nmi)
- Combat Range: 700 km (430 mi, 380 nmi)
- Service Ceiling: 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
- Capacity: 2 internal stores of 155 kg each and two external stores of 170 kg each for a total of 650 kg
Capable of taking off and landing on both land and aircraft carriers, the CATS Warrior will collaborate with IAF aircraft like the Tejas, AMCA, TEDBF, Su-30MKI, and Jaguar. While primarily intended for the IAF, a smaller variant could be developed for the Indian Navy.
With a combat radius of 350 km for return missions and up to 800 km for one-way strike missions, the drone is designed to be expendable if retrieval is not feasible.
A scale model of the CATS Warrior was first showcased at Aero India 2021. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) approved ₹390 crore (approximately ₹438 crore or US$51 million in 2023) in internal funding for its development as of February 2021.
The drone can carry two short-range or beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles externally and two DRDO Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAAW) internally. It is powered by two modified PTAE-7 engines, originally developed for the DRDO Lakshya target drone.
