Army receives Sabal 20 logistics drone

EndureAir Systems delivers Sabal 20 logistics drones to the Army; IIT-K launches Anālakshya MSCS for stealth technology advancement.

The Army has received Sabal 20 logistics drones procured from EndureAir Systems for deployment in the Eastern sector, the company announced on Wednesday. In another development, the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) announced a major advancement in stealth technology by launching the Metamaterial Surface Cloaking System — Anālakshya.

Sabal 20 is an electric unmanned helicopter based on variable pitch technology, and capable of carrying payloads of up to 20 kg, according to EndureAir, which was incubated at IIT-K in 2018. The drone features tandem rotor configuration and the design “ensures remarkable stability, superior high-altitude performance, minimised turbulence risk, and outstanding lifting capacity across diverse terrains”. The tender for these drones was issued around end of 2023 and the deliveries have just begun recently.

Sabal 20 is engineered to meet rigorous operational demands, supporting missions such as long-range deliveries, high-altitude operations, and precision logistics, the company said in a statement. “Its advanced Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) technology enables seamless operations in confined and rugged terrains, while its low RPM design minimises noise with a low aural signature, enhancing stealth in sensitive missions.”

The Anālakshya MSCS is the brainchild of Prof. Anantha Ramakrishna from Dept. of Physics; Prof. Kumar Vaibhav Srivastava from Dept. of Electrical Engineering; and Prof. J. Ramkumar from Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, developed with their team of students: Gagandeep Singh, Kajal Chowdhary, and Abhinav Bhardwaj, along with other PhD scholars, the institute said in a statement. “This textile-based broadband Metamaterial Microwave Absorber offers near-perfect wave absorption across a broad spectrum, significantly enhancing stealth capabilities against Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging.”

By offering near-perfect wave absorption across a broad spectrum, the system significantly enhances the ability to counter SAR imaging, and will also give effective protection from missiles that use radar guidance, the statement said. The technology underwent extensive laboratory and field testing between 2019 and 2024, proving its efficacy across diverse conditions with 90% of the material being sourced indigenously.

The technology has been licensed to Meta Tattva Systems Pvt. Ltd. which will oversee its manufacturing and deployment.