Fishermen Net Target Drone ‘Banshee’ In Odisha’s Balasore

Balasore: Fishermen were in for a surprise when they netted a target drone during deep-sea fishing near Talapada in Odisha’s Balasore district on Monday.

According to sources, the catch was a Meggitt BTT-3 Banshee, a British target drone developed for air defence systems training. It was flight tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Balasore coast.

The fishermen later brought the drone home.

Talking to the media, the ITR officials said that the 50-kg drone aircraft of 8-foot length had fallen into the sea after the user trial. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was flown as part of a radar calibration exercise. After the calibration, its recovery was not necessary, said ITR director Dr B K Das.

He further said that the testing was a routine exercise carried out by the Indian Air Force and there was no need to panic.