Indian Autonomous Combat Aircraft To Be Manufactured In Europe For 1st Time

After decades of India depending on fighter aircraft imports from countries such as Russia, France and US, an Indian defence technology company has announced plans to manufacture an autonomous combat aircraft in Europe for the first time.

Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace (FWDA) announced its first international manufacturing node in Portugal for its flagship autonomous combat aircraft, Kaal Bhairava.

Kaal Bhairava is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) autonomous combat aircraft designed for missions including precision strikes, intelligence gathering and swarm operations.

According to the company, the aircraft has an operational range of 3,000 kilometres and can remain airborne for more than 30 hours. It also features AI-based target recognition systems, encrypted communications and swarm coordination capabilities.

The aircraft will be produced in partnership with SKETCHPIXEL LDA, a European technology company known for building advanced fighter jet simulation systems for aircraft, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The partnership marks the first time an Indian-designed autonomous combat aircraft will be manufactured on European soil.

“Under the agreement, SKETCHPIXEL will contribute simulation technologies, AI integration, communications systems, and interoperability capabilities for the platform while FWDA retains intellectual property rights to the core autonomous systems and airframe design,” the company said in a press release.

The Portugal hub will function as the first international node under “Operation 777”, a long-term strategic initiative launched by FWDA founder and CEO Suhas Tejaskanda. The initiative was first announced during the unveiling of the Kaal Bhairava platform in 2025 and aims to establish manufacturing, integration and deployment partnerships for Indian-origin autonomous warfare systems across seven continents and 77 countries.

Speaking on the partnership, Tejaskanda said, “This collaboration reflects growing international interest in Indian-designed autonomous systems and demonstrates the potential for Indian warfare technologies to participate in global manufacturing ecosystems. Operation 777 is about taking our systems beyond borders with an aim to build a globally distributed defence technology network originating from India.”

He further said that Portugal's strategic location and access to the NATO ecosystem would strengthen the company's entry into European defence networks and collaborative opportunities.

Miguel Abrue, CEO of  SKETCHPIXEL, said FWDA's engineering and AI systems would be combined with KEYDEF's simulation, interoperability and military integration capabilities. He further said that new communication systems, AI modules and interoperability systems would be jointly developed in laboratories in Portugal and India.

“The key to this development is a regular exchange of teams and knowledge. We will start with the FWD Kaalabheirav project for Portugal and NATO countries,” he added.