In a significant milestone for Indian defense manufacturing, India's first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered combat aircraft, named 'Kaal Bhairava', is set to be produced in Europe. FWDA, an Indian AI warfare company, announced on Thursday that the autonomous combat aircraft will be manufactured in Portugal in collaboration with SKETCHPIXEL, a European firm renowned for developing advanced fighter jet simulation systems for platforms like the F-16.
Partnership Details
Under the agreement, SKETCHPIXEL will bring its expertise in simulation technologies, AI integration, communications systems, and interoperability capabilities to the project. FWDA will retain the intellectual property rights for the core autonomous systems and airframe design. This partnership underscores the global appeal of Indian-designed autonomous systems.
Aircraft Capabilities
Kaal Bhairava is a medium-altitude, long-endurance autonomous combat aircraft with a range of 3,000 kilometers and an endurance of over 30 hours. It features AI-driven target recognition, swarm coordination capabilities, and encrypted communication systems. Unlike traditional aerospace models focused on high-cost platforms, FWDA is building an ecosystem of autonomous airpower, swarm systems, and next-generation air defense.
Executive Statements
Suhas Tejaskanda, founder and CEO of FWDA, stated, "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. Portugal's strategic location and access to the NATO ecosystem will further our access to European defense networks, collaborative opportunities, and global deployment pathways. The larger vision is to help position India among the world's top defense exporters."
Miguel Abrue, CEO of SKETCHPIXEL, added, "Each step of FWDA's deep engineering, cutting-edge electronics, AI, and chip analysis will be combined with KEYDEF's simulation, AI, interoperability, and military integration capabilities. From structural design, board design, construction, firmware development, communications, control, and validation, everything is performed under complete control, ensuring maximum standards of safety, resilience, and technological sovereignty. The new communication systems, LVC interoperability, and AI modules will be coded together in KEYDEF's laboratories in Portugal and FWDA's in India. The key to this development is a regular exchange of teams and knowledge. We will start with the FWDA Kaal Bhairava project for Portugal and NATO countries."
