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An Indian defence start-up based in Bengaluru is set to manufacture an autonomous combat aircraft in Europe for the first time, marking a significant moment for India’s emerging private defence technology sector.
Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace on Thursday announced that its flagship autonomous combat aircraft, Kaal Bhairava, will be manufactured in Portugal through a partnership with Portuguese technology firm SKETCHPIXEL LDA.
The development is notable because India has traditionally depended on imports from countries such as Russia, France and the United States for advanced combat aircraft. The new arrangement positions an Indian-designed autonomous warfare platform for production inside a NATO member state for the first time.
The Portugal facility will serve as the first overseas manufacturing node under “Operation 777”, a long-term expansion programme unveiled by the company during the launch of the Kaal Bhairava platform in 2025. The initiative aims to create manufacturing, integration and deployment partnerships for Indian-origin autonomous warfare systems across multiple global markets.
Under the agreement, SKETCHPIXEL will contribute fighter jet simulation technologies, AI integration, communications systems and interoperability capabilities. FWDA will retain intellectual property rights over the aircraft’s autonomous systems and airframe design.
The Portuguese company is known for developing advanced simulation systems for fighter aircraft, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Speaking on the partnership, FWDA Founder and Chief Executive Suhas Tejaskanda said the collaboration reflected growing international interest in Indian-designed autonomous combat systems.
“Operation 777 is about taking our systems beyond borders with an aim to build a globally distributed defence technology network originating from India,” he said.
He added that Portugal’s location and access to the NATO ecosystem would help the company deepen engagement with European defence networks and global deployment channels.
Miguel Abrue, chief executive of SKETCHPIXEL, said the collaboration would combine FWDA’s engineering and AI capabilities with Portugal-based work on interoperability, communications and military integration systems.
“The key to this development is a regular exchange of teams and knowledge,” Abrue said, adding that the Kaal Bhairava project would initially focus on Portugal and NATO-linked requirements.
Kaal Bhairava is described as a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) autonomous combat aircraft with a reported range of 3,000 kilometres and endurance exceeding 30 hours. The platform is designed with AI-enabled target recognition, swarm coordination capabilities and encrypted communications systems.
The company says its broader focus is on scalable autonomous warfare systems, including unmanned airpower and next-generation air defence technologies, amid a growing global shift toward lower-cost and AI-enabled combat platforms.
The Portugal partnership is expected to become the first step in FWDA’s effort to expand overseas aerospace and defence collaborations across multiple strategic regions in the coming years.
Team BharatShakti
