[1][5] In 2015, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar informed the Rajya Sabha that the Ghatak UCAV will be powered by a dry variant of the Kaveri afterburning turbofan engine,[11] which will have a thrust of 52 kilonewtons.

[13] In 2011, in an interview given to The Economic Times, DRDO's Chief Controller, R&D (aeronautics), Dr Prahlada said, "the UCAV will have on-board mission computers, data links, fire control radars, identification of friend or foe, and collision avoidance systems, they will be highly intelligent drones", he also added that "UCAV will be capable of flying at altitudes of 30,000 ft [9,144 m] and weighing less than 15 tonnes, will have rail-launching for the missiles, bombs and PGMs (precision-guided munitions) they will carry.

[5] The project Ghatak was initiated by ADA in consultation with the Indian Air Force (IAF), with an objective to develop a stealthy UCAV based on flying wing design.

[5] The flying wing configuration is inherently stealthy, can carry more fuel and payload than conventional UCAV designs, however it has more complex flight control surfaces and laws.

[16][1] The Indian Navy is also interested in the project, and is keen on acquiring deck based UCAVs for future aircraft carriers and Landing Platform Docks (LPD).

[19] According to DRDO, the SWiFT UAV is intended to develop and demonstrate technologies for controlling the flying wing configuration and flight characteristics at high-subsonic speed.

[8][20] According to DRDO, the aircraft exhibited a perfect flight, including take-off, way-point navigation and a smooth touchdown while operating in a fully autonomous mode.

[10] On 15 December 2023, DRDO successfully demonstrated the flight trial of first SWiFT prototype (flying wing configuration) at Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range.

With the use of onboard sensor data fusion and GAGAN receivers, autonomous landing has been demonstrated to be possible from any runway with documented coordinates, negating the requirement for ground radars, infrastructure, or pilots.