SOURCE: AFI
In a significant development for India’s indigenous defence technology ecosystem, Paninian India Pvt Ltd, a Hyderabad-based defence tech firm, has unveiled the concept of its Svayatt TD-1 — an Autonomous Target-Decoy (ATD) System designed to support realistic, flexible, and multi-role training and evaluation scenarios for armed forces.
The Svayatt TD-1, showcased with its Ground Control Station (GCS), marks a promising step in enhancing India’s capability to simulate sophisticated aerial threats, enabling more precise and cost-effective training, weapons testing, and countermeasure evaluation.
The Svayatt TD-1 is not a one-size-fits-all drone. It has been developed with a modular, reconfigurable architecture, allowing users to rapidly change its payload and structural components to emulate a wide spectrum of airborne threats — from missiles and fighter jets to unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs).
This high level of customization allows armed forces to conduct mission-specific testing and training, providing a valuable edge in preparing for real-world conflict scenarios.
Key Features & Capabilities
Multi-Role Capability
- Functions as both an aerial target for live-fire drills and a decoy capable of mimicking high-value threats.
Advanced Payload Integration
- Equipped with swappable payloads to simulate:
- Radar Cross Section (RCS) profiles
- Infrared (IR) signatures
- Electronic countermeasures including radar jamming and IR decoys
Modular Airframe Design
- Structural components can be swapped to replicate various threat platforms — enabling simulation of multiple aircraft profiles with the same base system.
Reconfigurable Payload System
- Fast payload changes allow it to be quickly tailored for different roles, significantly reducing turnaround times between missions.
Realistic Threat Emulation
- Capable of replicating aerial threats like:
- Air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles
- Fighter aircraft
- Stealthy UCAVs
- This helps enhance realism in training and testing countermeasure effectiveness.
Training & Testing Support
- Provides a platform for:
- Targeting accuracy training
- Weapon system validation
- Tactical countermeasure trials in secure, controlled environments
While still in the concept stage, the Svayatt TD-1 has the potential to become a cornerstone of India’s target drone and aerial decoy ecosystem, which remains a critical gap in defence preparedness. Future iterations could include AI-driven threat behavior, swarm decoy deployment, or integration with radar/sensor test ranges.
NOTE: AFI is a proud outsourced content creator partner of IDRW.ORG. All content created by AFI is the sole property of AFI and is protected by copyright. AFI takes copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all legal options available to protect its content.