What is TAPAS Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)?

About TAPAS UAV:

• The Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance Beyond Horizon-201, or Tapas BH-201, is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drone.
• It was previouslyreferred to as Rustom-II. 
• It was developed indigenously by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Designed to fulfil the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Tracking & Reconnaissance (ISTAR) requirements of the tri-services, the Tapas UAV can effectively operate both day and night.
• Features:
  • It has an operating altitude of 30000 feet and an endurance of 24 hours.
  • It also projects a range of 250 km, which can carry a variety of payloads up to a maximum of 350 kg with a wing span of 20.6 metres.
  • Maximum speed: 225 kmph. 
  • It can be controlled remotely and also has the ability to execute pre-programmed flight plans autonomously with precision and flexibility.
  • It is equipped with enhanced aerodynamic configuration, digital flight control, navigation system, communication intelligence, medium and long-range electro-optic payloads, and synthetic aperture radar that will enable it to see through the clouds.

Q1: What is an unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)?

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft that carries no human pilot or passengers. UAVs—sometimes called drones—can be fully or partially autonomous but are more often controlled remotely by a human pilot. RAND research has contributed to the public discussion on the use of drones for warfare and surveillance.

Source: Indian Air Force to Purchase of 10 Indigenous TAPAS Drones to Enhance Surveillance Capabilities