The Kaala Bhairava drone is India's first AI-powered indigenous Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) autonomous combat aircraft which is known for its swarm strike capabilities. The drone is made for long-range surveillance and precise strikes. Recently, the Croatian Union of Innovations organised the ARCA 2025 event, which was supported by the International Federation of Inventors' Associations (IFIA).
In this event, Flying Wedge Defense and Aerospace, a defence and AI warfare company from India, has won a silver medal at the 23 ARCA: International Exhibition of Innovations. The event held more than 300 innovations and technologies from over 35 countries. The company has received the award for its drone creation called Kaala Bhairava E2A2. The name of the drone is inspired by the fierce form of Lord Shiva, Kaala Bhairava, who is considered the eternal guardian of time.
About Kaala Bhairava E2A2
The Kaala Bhairava E2A2 (Economic and Efficient Autonomous Aircraft) is India's first fully indigenous, AI-powered combat drone, which is made to act as a force multiplier for the Indian defence system. Everything in this autonomous aircraft is designed and built in India. The Indian made drone is ensures India's strategic independence in defence technology. The magnificent black drone uses artificial intelligence for tasks like accurate targeting, flightpath management, and more, making real-time combat decisions autonomously. The drone can fly up to 30 hours and it has an operational range of 3,000kilometers using satellite communication.
Kaala Bhairava | X/ @ReviewVayu
The efficient Kaala Bhairava: purpose
The drone is designed to work in swarms (groups) to perform coordinated, multi-angle attacks, which helps overwhelm enemy air defenses. The aim and motive behind making this efficient drone is to provide powerful, self-sufficient, and self-reliant combat options in the Indian Army. India has always relied on foreign combat drones such as the Israeli Searcher and American MQ-9B Reaper, which always have certain drawbacks, like potential data and security breaches. So that the country shouldn't be dependent upon foreign drones that are expensive, it is designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and aims to keep our soldiers out of harm's way.
The ARCA 2025 event in Croatia
ARCA 2025, the 23rd International Exhibition of Innovation, was held in Zagreb, Croatia, from October 16–18, 2025, at the National and University Library. The exhibition showcased innovations from individuals, academic institutions, and various other organisations from different countries. The events were organised by the Croatian Union of Innovators and supported by various government bodies and other organisations.
FWDA receives DGCA certificate
Flying Wedge Defence and Aeroscope become the first Indian companies to receive a DGCA certificate for their indigenous UAV technology. This certification is a significant milestone, as it demonstrates the capability for domestic development of critical drone technology and sets a precedent for other Indian firms.
