DRDO-made UAV crashes in village in Karnataka due to technical glitch

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) crashed in the agriculture fields of a village in Chitradurga district of Karnataka following a technical snag on Sunday.

The DRDO said the technical issue is being investigated, however, there was no "collateral damage".

The UAV -- TAPAS 07 A-14 -- fell outside Vaddikere village in Hiriyur taluk of the district, according to the official sources.

"TAPAS UAV was undergoing an experimental flight trial today morning from ATR Challakere, Karnataka. During the flight, a technical snag was encountered and the UAV crashed in a nearby farmland. The technical reason is being investigated and there is no collateral damage," the DRDO said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Videos and images show that the TAPAS experimental UAV broke following the crash and its equipment inside scattered on the field.

A large number of villagers gathered at the spot soon after the UAV crashed with a loud noise, and alerted the local authorities.