Platform profile · India · Autonomous loyal-wingman unmanned combat aerial vehicle · Indian Air Force
Combat Air Teaming System Warrior (CATS Warrior)
DevelopmentHAL said on 2026-05-15 that the actual UAV was being built and that a first flight might occur in 2027.
On 15 May 2026, HAL said it was building the actual CATS Warrior UAV after a successful 2025 ground run and tentatively expected a first flight in 2027. A year earlier, HAL described the programme as a three-tonne UCAV under research and development, with prototypes being built and engines and data links under test. The functional full-scale engineering demonstrator made its first public appearance at Aero India on 11 February 2025, one month after its engine ground run. HAL had launched CATS Warrior at Aero India 2021 and entered low-speed wind-tunnel testing by 2022, but the flight date reported to Janes for 2024 has slipped. CATS Warrior matters because it is HAL's principal indigenous manned-unmanned-teaming route for extending fighter sensing and strike reach while keeping the crewed aircraft farther from defended airspace.
Updated 15 May 2026
Verified figures
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Twin-engine autonomous unmanned combat aerial vehicle and loyal wingman ↗ |
| Primary operator concept | Indian Air Force, operating alongside or ahead of the Tejas ↗ |
| HAL programme weight class | 3 tonnes ↗ |
| Engineering demonstrator dimensions | 9.1 m long; 7.6 m wingspan ↗ |
| Engineering demonstrator powerplant | Two HAL PTAE-7 turbojets ↗ |
| Engineering demonstrator thrust | 3.7 kN per engine ↗ |
| Declared maximum speed | Just under 800 km/h; configuration not specified ↗ |
| Declared maximum range | 800 km; payload and mission profile not specified ↗ |
| Sensors | AESA radar and electro-optical/infrared sensors ↗ |
| Navigation and electronic warfare | Inertial-navigation unit and jammer ↗ |
| Weapon class | Designed to carry missiles and bombs ↗ |
| Latest first-flight forecast | Possibly 2027; HAL described the timing as tentative ↗ |
Spec sources: janes.com ↗ · janes.com ↗ · hal-india.co.in ↗ · edrmagazine.eu ↗ · hal-india.co.in ↗
Changelog
Program timeline
-
HAL said it was building the actual CATS Warrior UAV after the successful 2025 ground run and that the aircraft might fly in 2027 rather than in 2026.
-
HAL announced the maiden flight of an unmanned Kiran aircraft being used as a testbed for CATS flight controls and data links.
-
HAL described CATS Warrior as a three-tonne UCAV under R&D, with prototypes being built and data-link and engine technologies under test.
-
HAL displayed the functional full-scale CATS Warrior engineering demonstrator in public for the first time at Aero India in Bengaluru.
-
HAL announced a successful engine ground run of the full-scale CATS Warrior demonstrator and said the prototype would be unveiled at Aero India 2025.
-
An HAL source told Janes that CATS Warrior was in wind-tunnel testing and then expected flight testing in 2024, a schedule that was not met.
-
HAL revealed the CATS family at Aero India 2021, including a CATS Warrior mock-up intended to fly alongside or ahead of the Tejas as a sensor amplifier and combat platform.
0 tagged stories
Coverage
No tagged stories yet — coverage lands here automatically.