Flying Wedge Defence will invest 50 million euros in Portugal
Defence & Aerospace News Europe - Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace expects to invest 50 million euros in a new drone manufacturing plant in Portugal. This will be the company´s first international manufacturing Hub for their flagship autonomous combat drone, the Kaal Bhairava, in Portugal that is made possible through a strategic partnership with SKETCHPIXEL LDA and its spin-off KEYDEF. Flying Wedge Defence (FWD) is a Deep Tech Defence company headquartered in India that develops cutting-edge solutions in AI warfare, Autonomous Combat Drones, and UAV systems. Their focus is on creating smart, efficient, and cost effective Air Defence technologies that enhance national security while reducing human casualties on the battlefield. This is what is the Kaal Bhairava, the AI-powered Medium Altitude Long Endurance autonomous combat drone that will be made in Portugal:
What is the AI-powered combat drone that will be made in Portugal?
The AI-powered Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) autonomous combat aircraft that will be made in Portugal is the Kaal Bhairava combat drone. The combat drone features an operational range of 3,000 km, with 30+ hours flying capacity, AI-driven target recognition, Swarm coordination capabilities and Secure encrypted communications. The Kaal Bhairava combat drone that will be manufactured in Portugal represents the future of autonomous warfare and is designed in India to be deployed globally. The new drone factory in Portugal is the result of a collaboration with Portuguese Defence and Aerospace company KEYDEF, a spin-off of the Portuguese digital studio SketchPixel. The new drone factory will focus entirely on unmanned aerial systems, simulation, and military integration. As part of this collaboration, SKETCHPIXEL subsidiary KEYDEF will contribute advanced simulation technologies, AI integration, communications systems, and interoperability capabilities, while Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace will retain ownership of the core autonomous systems and airframe design.
The new Kaal Bhairava combat drone manufacturing plant in Portugal becomes the first international Hub under Operation 777, that is a long-term strategic vision of Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace Founder & CEO, Suhas Tejaskanda, that is to establish global manufacturing, integration, and deployment partnerships for autonomous warfare systems to be deployed across strategic regions worldwide. This marks a historic step forward as an Indian-designed autonomous combat aircraft expands its manufacturing footprint into Europe, reinforcing the growing global recognition of India's Defence technologies.
The collaboration between Portuguese company KEYDEF and Indian company Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace, foresees an initial investment of six million euros. However, the investment is expected to reach 50 million euros in the coming years. Portugal´s new drone factory will produce drones used in surveillance, Air Defense missions, and civilian applications such as precision agriculture. This partnership reflects Flying Wedge's commitment to building next-generation autonomous airpower systems while advancing India's position as a global leader in Defence innovation in collaboration with Portuguese Defence manufacturing company KEYDEF. The new combat drone manufacturing plant in Portugal will be developing the electronic and AI components of the Kaal Bhairava combat drones, thus setting the pace for the future of autonomous warfare in Europe.
