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Indian air force's pilotless aircraft crashes, causing no casualty

Xinhua, April 21, 2017 Adjust font size:

A pilotless aircraft of the Indian air force crashed in the eastern state of Odisha during a test flight on Friday, a senior defense official said.

However, there have been no reports of any casualty on the ground.

"The unmanned aerial vehicle, called 'Lakshya' (target), crashed in an open ground near Chandamani in Baliapal in the state's Balasore district soon after taking off from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur," he said on condition of anonymity.

A probe has been launched into the crash, the official added.

Lakshya is a remotely piloted high speed target drone system developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organization.

The drone provides realistic towed aerial sub-targets for live fire training.

The aircraft has a crushable nose cone, which absorbs the impact of landing, minimizing damage. The flight path may be controlled or pre-programmed, based upon the type of mission. Enditem