Hi Paul and group,

Here is a paste of this link.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DRDO_Nishant

Marc Joseph



Test flight with Wankel engine

On Sunday 5 April 2009 DRDO launched a test flight of the Nishant UAV.
The main goal was to test the performance of the Wankel engine
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Wankel_engine> used on the UAV.
An abandoned World War II
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/World_War_II> runway at a
village near Kolar played host to the first ever flight of this
indigenous rotary engine-powered UAV. The flight took off on early
Sunday morning and climbed to an altitude of 1.8 kms effortlessly before
cruising for a duration of 35 minutes. The air vehicle was recovered
safely at the intended place at a dried-up lake, after a total flight
duration of 40 mins. The engine, a Wankel rotary type, was the
developmental project of the DRDO and was jointly designed and developed
by NAL
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/National_Aerospace_Laboratories>,
a CSIR
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Council_of_Scientific_and_Industrial_Research>
laboratory, VRDE <http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/VRDE>,
Ahmednagar <http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Ahmednagar> and ADE
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Aeronautical_Development_Establishment>,
Bangalore <http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Bangalore>. Very few
countries in the world have the capability to develop and master this
technology. The provisional flight clearance for the first indigenous
prototype engine was given by the certifying agency, RCMA. The engine
was cleared for flight after rigorous ground endurance test runs. The
Wankel engine weighs about 30 kgs, and this engine type is known for its
high power to weight ratio in a single rotor category.^[4]
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/uwc/webmail/sample.html?lang=en#cite_note-3>


DRDO was satisfied with the test results. The performance of the engine
during the flight met the requirements of the first flight of a engine
in the air vehicle. This 55 hp indigenous engine is expected to replace
the present imported engine of Nishant. The critical core engine,
including the special cylinder composite
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Composite> nickel
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Nickel>-silicon
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Silicon> carbide
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Carbide> coating and special
aluminium <http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Aluminium> alloy
castings, was designed and developed by NAL. VRDE developed engine
peripherals such as the ignition and fuel systems and ADE developed
flight testing. The reconnaissance UAV, which has completed its user
trials with the Indian Army
<http://courrielweb-3.videotron.ca/wiki/Indian_Army>, is expected to be
handed over to the army shortly.