BPWD-19 Vidyut

Instructions

HAL BPWD-19 Vidyut ======Statistics====== Role: Low-Observable Deep Strike Aircraft Current Units in Service: 2,200 Service Date: 18 April 2021 --------------- Length: 16.2 meters Wingspan: 17.5 meters Height: 4.4 meters --------------- Empty Weight: 11,300 kilograms MTOW: 22,150 kilograms --- Service Ceiling: 12 kilometers Cruising Altitude: 10 kilometers --- Top Speed: ~ Mach 1.2 Combat Radius: 750 km Total Mission Range: 1,500 km --- RCS: ~ 0.005 to 0.01m² Climb: Classified --- Maximum Weapons Capacity: 5,500 kg over 14 hardpoints (2 internal, 12 external) + 30mm gatling cannon --- Exports and licenses are permitted, but are heavily restricted by the FRSN. Also, maximum payload, combat radius, and mission endurance vary according to fuel load, weapons configuration, and flight profile. ======Lore====== The BPWD-19 Vidyut is a low-observable deep-strike UCAV developed by Bijoyite Hegemon in 2021 and is the first true stealth-capable aircraft fielded in Bhahsania's history. Built on a basis of speed and stealth, it quickly became feared for its elusive nature and the sheer explosive payload it could carry, higher than that of the older Su-25s in service. However, the true nature of the Vidyut was seen on fronts such as the former 2019 to 2022 Aromagian War, when Aromagia, then a puppet state, had undergone a revolution and had attempted to secede from Bijoyite Hegemon, leading to the Bijoyite offensive. It was in the latter phase of this war that the Vidyut proved itself a more formidable opponent than the Frogfoots the Aromagians and Broken Democrats faced before, earning a reputation for sudden, devastating strikes against high-value targets, often withdrawing before opposing forces could organize an effective response. As reports of Vidyut operations spread between enemy formations, so did the accounts of appearances and devastation associated with them. For fighters subjected to repeated attacks, the uncertainty about its arrival became almost as eerie as the strikes themselves. The aircraft was increasingly described not as a drone, but as a predator with flesh of steel and a weapons suite that shredded through fortifications, trucks, and even lightly armored tanks. This was where the name "The Night Terror" came into play, emerging from frontline slang before spreading through enemy communications and intelligence assessments. Eventually, it became a widely recognized designation among both opposing and friendly forces. Among the 62 Night Terrors that saw combat in the war (2021 to 2022), none were lost to enemy forces, and only one was damaged by friendly fire; it returned to base after completing the mission and was subsequently repaired. In the recent Karakian conflict too, the BPWD-19 was no different, proving its prowess once again. Night Terrors took part in extensive strike operations against the Red Line, where once again, no confirmed combat losses to enemy fire were publicly acknowledged. Vidyut remains the official designation of the BPWD-19, but Night Terror remains the popular nomenclature for the aircraft among FRSN troops even today.