Overview
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation carried out the HAPS flight test on Tuesday that climbed to 21 km, held about 20 km for more than 30 minutes, was commanded to descend and was safely recovered with flight data analysed.
- The lighter‑than‑air platform carried an inertial measurement unit, GPS receiver, onboard cameras and an altitude‑control mechanism, and it streamed continuous real‑time video and vehicle parameters to a ground control station during the mission.
- Separately on Tuesday DRDO conducted the maiden live jump of its Advanced High‑Altitude Parachute at Nyoma, executing a 16,000‑ft jump with deployment at 15,500 ft and landing at 13,700 ft to validate mass‑drop capability at extreme altitude.
- Both trials involved military and civil certification bodies including the IAF, CEMILAC, DGAQA, DGCA and AAI, while the IAF and MoD continue procurement moves such as an Expression of Interest for a fixed‑wing pseudo‑satellite HAPS.
- HAPS sit between drones and satellites by offering persistent local coverage, communications relay and recoverability at lower cost than launches, and these experimental successes move India closer to operational stratospheric surveillance though longer endurance tests and fielding remain next steps.