By: Suman Sharma
As the global defence industry moves towards artificial intelligence, autonomous aircraft and new models of combat aviation, an Indian AI warfare company- the Bengaluru-based Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA), raised the curtain on its vision to give India its first AI-Piloted fighter jet, by launching its first full-scale static prototype called the- ‘FWD Supreme’, as India enters the emerging global race for AI-enabled combat aviation,
The unveiling ceremony of the AI-piloted fighter jet programme, held in New Delhi, was graced by A. Anbarasu, DG Acquisition; Air Marshal Prem Kumar, DG Weapon Systems; Lt-Gen Puneet Ahuja, Chief of Staff, Western Command and Major General Tarun Aggarwal, ADG Acquisition Tech, along with Miguel Abreu, CEO of SketchPixel and Director of KEYDEF.
The aircraft presented at the event was the FWD Supreme Heavy, a one-tonne-class aircraft, envisioned for autonomous combat operations and configurable for missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), strike and collaborative combat.
Speaking at the historic launch, Suhas Tejaskanda, CEO and Founder of FWDA, said, “FWD Supreme represents our commitment to building advanced defence capabilities through Indian design, engineering and manufacturing. Our ambition is to develop a family of AI-piloted fighter aircraft that combines operational relevance with affordability. Through Operation Triple Seven, we aim to bring together international partners around an India-led development and manufacturing programme, while strengthening our country’s indigenous aerospace capabilities”, adding further that, “FWD Supreme Lite has already crossed taxi trials and is gearing up for the first flight.”
DG Acquisition of Ministry of Defence (MoD), A. Anbarasu said, “It makes us happy to see that the Indian defence ecosystem is growing at a stellar pace. We are living in an extraordinary situation. The war between Russia and Ukraine has continued as the years have passed. The conflict in the Middle East began earlier this year, and we do not know what trajectory it will take. The Prime Minister has given us the mantra of JAI, which stands for Jointness, Aatmanirbharta and Innovation. He has said that this is the cornerstone on which the Indian defence ecosystem should move forward”, further adding,“During Ex-Tarang Shakti hosted in Jodhpur, Raksha Mantri made it clear that today’s war preparedness does not depend only on the platforms that we have. Readiness depends on what we sense, what we understand, what we develop, and what we augment and assimilate”.
Built and manufactured entirely in India, the platform envisions to make advanced combat aviation more affordable through indigenous development, AI-enabled systems and scalable aircraft production.
At the core of the FWD Supreme platform is FWDA’s Mobbing Doctrine, an approach to air combat built around AI-piloted aircraft operating as a coordinated force. Instead of relying on a small number of high-value platforms, the doctrine envisions multiple autonomous aircraft working together like a swarm of jets, sharing information and making coordinated decisions in real time.
FWD Supreme is a one-tonne AI powered Autonomous Combat aircraft, which can carry a payload of about 350 kgs. It has a propulsion of 5 kN, a maximum speed of 0.85M and can cruise to about 500-600kmph. It has a range of over 1500 km and an endurance of over two hours. The satellite communication enabled aircraft has a 10 x10m dimension of flying wing configuration with internal Weapon Bay.
FWD Supreme will focus on technology development, testing and integration, alongside the development of the wider Supreme family of aircraft.
FWDA also plans to build international aerospace and manufacturing partnerships through Operation Triple Seven, with the aim of developing an India-led ecosystem for advanced combat aviation.
FWDA has become the first Indian company to secure DGCA type certification for an indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The company subsequently unveiled India’s first unmanned bomber aircraft, the FWD-200B, which successfully completed its maiden flight on 03 September 2024.
On 22 August 2025, FWDA announced the readiness of the Kaal Bhairava E2A2 programme. Kaal Bhairava is India’s first AI-powered Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Autonomous Combat Aircraft. Designed and developed entirely in India, the platform is engineered for up to 30 hours of endurance and has a range of 3,000 km, delivering AI-driven autonomy for precision strikes, swarm operations, and real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
Built with zero foreign dependency, the platform ensures complete data sovereignty and eliminates external kill-switch risks while being positioned at a fraction of the cost of comparable Predator-class UAV systems. The programme has secured a US$25 million export order from a South Asian nation and enabled the company’s first international manufacturing node in Portugal, marking a significant milestone in India’s global expansion strategy.
The Kaal Bhairava Lite variant has successfully conducted flight demonstrations with the Indian Army, including operations at high-altitude environments in Jammu & Kashmir. The platform has been showcased to multiple Indian defence stakeholders and is currently undergoing further evaluation and engagement processes with various security forces.
With a growing portfolio of autonomous strike systems, AI-enabled combat platforms, and scalable unmanned aircraft programmes, FWDA aims to position India as a global hub for next-generation autonomous defence technologies.
