DRDO Indigenous HAPS At 21 Km Altitude: India has reached a new milestone in high-altitude surveillance technology. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested an indigenously developed High-Altitude Platform System (HAPS).
During the test flight, the platform climbed to 21 km above mean sea level. It then stayed at an altitude of 20 km for more than 30 minutes. After completing the test, it was ordered to return to the ground and was recovered safely. The flight data was later studied by the DRDO team.
What is India’s New HAPS?
HAPS is a lighter-than-air system that is being made for long-duration work in the stratosphere. It can be used for aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering and observing areas from very high altitudes.
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The system is being designed and developed by DRDO’s Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra. The latest test was important because the platform was able to reach a very high altitude and maintain its position before safely returning to the ground.
The platform also sent real-time video and other flight information to the Ground Control Station throughout the test. This allowed teams on the ground to watch the flight and check how the system was performing.
HAPS Carried Cameras and Flight Control Systems
The experimental platform carried several important instruments and electronic systems. These included an inertial measurement unit, a GPS receiver, onboard cameras and an altitude control system.
These systems helped with navigation, monitoring and controlling the platform during the flight. The information received at the Ground Control Station showed that the platform performed as expected during the trial.
The test wasn’t done by DRDO alone. The Indian Air Force, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other civil authorities were involved in the trial.
Rajnath Singh Calls it an Aatmanirbhar Bharat Milestone
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the Indian Air Force, public sector units and the private industry involved in the project. He said the “successful trial is an important milestone in India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat journey towards realising a long-endurance stratospheric airship”.
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Defence Secretary, Department of Defence R&D Secretary and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh also congratulated the teams involved in the successful flight trial. The latest test is part of India’s effort to develop its own high-altitude systems for long-duration surveillance. A successful flight at 21 km gives DRDO important flight data that can be used as the HAPS project moves ahead.
