TASL is delivering 100 units of its ALS-50 loitering munition (pictured) to the Indian Air Force. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) is delivering 100 units of its Advanced Loitering System-50 (ALS-50) to the Indian Air Force (IAF), sources familiar with the matter told Janes at the Aero India 2023 show being held in Bangalore from 13 to 17 February.
The deliveries are expected to be completed by the end of this year, the sources said.
ALS-50 is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that has a length of 2.4 m, a wingspan of 3.8 m, and a maximum takeoff weight of 50 kg.
It has a cruise speed of 100 km/h, an endurance of more than 1 hour, and a range of more than 50 km, the sources added.
The UAV can carry a range of anti-personnel and anti-armour warheads weighing up to 6 kg including explosively formed penetrator (EFP), the sources said.
The ASL-50 model displayed at Aero India 2023 features a rectangular fuselage with rounded edges, shoulder-mounted straight wings, and a conventional tail configuration with an additional ventral tail.
The wings are fitted with port and starboard underwing fairings. Each fairing is fitted with fore and aft electric lift engines driving two-bladed propellers.
The UAV is fitted with a chin-mounted electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) turret, a rear-mounted engine, and a fixed landing gear consisting of four landing legs.
ALS-50 can operate at temperatures ranging from -30°C to +50°C. It can be launched and recovered at an elevation of 3000 m above mean sea level (AMSL), and has a service ceiling of 4000 m AMSL, the sources informed Janes.
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