DRDO tests high-altitude airship platform

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out a flight trial of an indigenously-developed high-altitude airship platform.

• The trial is an important milestone towards realising a long-endurance stratospheric airship.

Highlights of the trial:

• The high-altitude platform, a lighter-than-air system as a long-endurance stratospheric aerial surveillance platform, is being designed and developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra.

• The experimental flight attained an altitude of 21 km above mean sea level (AMSL) and remained at an altitude of 20 km above mean sea level (AMSL) for more than 30 minutes, before it was commanded to descend back to ground.

• The system was successfully recovered and the flight-performance data analysed.

• The trial was conducted in coordination with various agencies, namely, the Indian Air Force, the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other civil authorities.

• Real-time video data and all other vehicle parameters were acquired from the airborne platform at the ground control station during the entire flight, which showed intended flight performance.

• The system carried various instrumentation and control electronic packages like an inertial measurement unit, global positioning system receiver, onboard cameras, altitude control mechanism, besides various other sub-systems.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)