Flying Wedge unveils AI-piloted fighter jet concept 'FWD Supreme'; first demonstrator flight targeted for Q3 2026

Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA), an Indian AI warfare company, has unveiled its AI-piloted fighter jet concept, FWD Supreme. Designed to advance the future of air combat through the Mobbing Doctrine, the company also announced that the first flight of its technology demonstrator, FWD Supreme Lite, is targeted for the third quarter of 2026.

According to the company, the programme is the first of its kind in India and places the country among a select group of nations—including the United States, Turkey, and Germany—that are actively pursuing AI-piloted fighter aircraft programmes aimed at redefining the future of air combat.

In a statement, FWDA said: "Unlike conventional unmanned aircraft that are remotely operated by human pilots, FWD Supreme is an AI-piloted fighter jet that will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to fly itself. The programme aims to integrate advanced situational awareness, sensor fusion, autonomous decision-making, cognitive mission execution, and advanced combat capabilities into a next-generation fighter aircraft architecture."

The company said FWD Supreme is being designed to perceive, analyse, decide and act in highly contested environments with minimal human intervention. The platform is being developed around the Mobbing Doctrine, a new warfare concept envisioned by Suhas Tejaskanda, Founder and CEO of FWDA.

Explaining the vision behind the doctrine, Tejaskanda said, "The idea is to deploy multiple AI-piloted fighter jets operating together as a coordinated swarm force against higher-value enemy manned platforms. By leveraging intelligent networking, autonomous decision-making and cost asymmetry, it will address high-cost combat scenarios where even if four to five aircraft are lost during an engagement, the remaining aircraft can continue overwhelming enemy defences or force enemy manned fighters to retreat. The objective is to function as a force multiplier by fundamentally altering the economics and dynamics of air combat."

"The future of air superiority will not be achieved by a single fighter aircraft. It will be defined by the most intelligent and adaptive combat systems working together as a network at machine speed," he added.

According to the company, the platform is being manufactured indigenously at FWDA's facility in Bengaluru. The programme is being led by Girish Dixit, former Secretary of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and a control systems expert. The team also includes aerospace veterans such as V. Subba Rao, former Project Director of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas programme; G. Radhakrishnan, an expert in airframe and structural systems; Mahesh Prabhakar Padwale, a specialist in propulsion and engine integration; and R.S. Rao, an expert in avionics and weapon integration.

Collectively, the team brings decades of experience in military aviation, fighter aircraft development, aerospace engineering and advanced defence technologies.

FWD Supreme variants

FWD Supreme Lite

• Approximate all-up weight: 250 kg class
• Designed as the initial technology demonstrator and operational test platform
• First flight targeted for Q3 2026

FWD Supreme Heavy

• Approximate all-up weight: 1-tonne class
• Designed for extended-range autonomous combat operations
• Configurable for ISR, strike, collaborative combat and future air-dominance missions

Performance objectives: Phase 1

• Maximum speed: Up to Mach 0.9
• Cruise speed: Approximately Mach 0.5
• Operational range: 700–1,000 km, depending on mission profile
• Autonomous take-off, mission execution and recovery

Future roadmap: Phase 2

• Supersonic performance targets approaching Mach 2
• Advanced AI-enabled mission autonomy
• Enhanced survivability and low-observable characteristics
• Expanded collaborative combat capabilities
• Multi-aircraft autonomous teaming