DRDO Conducts Successful Flight Trial of Indigenous High-Altitude Airship Platform
Experimental platform reaches 21-km altitude and demonstrates sustained stratospheric flight capability.
New Delhi, Oct 6: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted a flight trial of an indigenously developed high altitude airship designed to support long duration surveillance operations in the stratosphere.
The experimental vehicle reached a maximum altitude of 21 km above mean sea level and maintained a height of around 20 km for more than 30 minutes. It was subsequently directed to return to the ground, where the system was safely recovered and the performance data collected during the mission was analysed.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, Indian Air Force, defence public sector undertakings and industry partners involved in the exercise. He described the achievement as an important step in the country’s efforts to develop a long-endurance stratospheric airship under the broader Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The trial was carried out with support from several defence and civil aviation agencies, including the Indian Air Force, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other concerned authorities.
Throughout the flight, the ground control station received live video feeds and information on various vehicle parameters. Officials said the data indicated that the platform performed as intended during the test.
The airship was equipped with several instrumentation and electronic control systems, including an inertial measurement unit, global positioning system receiver, onboard cameras and an altitude control mechanism, along with other supporting subsystems.
The platform is being designed and developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra, a DRDO laboratory. The initiative is aimed at developing a lighter than air system capable of providing persistent aerial surveillance from the stratosphere.
Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, as well as DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh, also congratulated the teams involved in the successful flight trial.
