Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India has taken a significant step towards developing long-endurance surveillance platforms in the stratosphere, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-testing its High Altitude Platform System (HAPS).
Designed and developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra, the lighter-than-air platform reached an altitude of 21 kilometres above mean sea level (AMSL).
It remained at 20 km for more than 30 minutes while carrying instrumentation systems before being commanded to descend.
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The system was successfully recovered, and its flight performance data was analysed, marking an important milestone in India’s efforts to develop aerial platforms capable of operating at extremely high altitudes for extended periods.
WHAT IS DRDO’S HAPS?
A High Altitude Platform System is designed to operate in the stratosphere, above most weather systems and conventional air traffic, but much closer to Earth than satellites.
Unlike satellites that move along orbital paths, an airship-based platform can potentially remain over a particular region for long periods. This could make it useful for persistent surveillance, communications and monitoring remote areas.
At an altitude of around 20 km, such a platform could potentially provide a wide field of view, depending on its sensors, atmospheric conditions and the terrain being observed.
The October 6 test demonstrated the platform’s ability to reach the stratosphere, maintain altitude for more than half an hour and return safely. However, the flight duration should not be confused with the weeks or months of endurance being sought for operational systems.
WHY DOES IT MATTER FOR INDIA?
A mature HAPS capability could strengthen India’s ability to monitor sensitive border regions, particularly mountainous terrain where maintaining continuous surveillance can be challenging.
The platforms could also serve as communications relays in remote areas with limited connectivity and support disaster monitoring when terrestrial communication networks are disrupted.
Unlike satellites, stratospheric airships could potentially be recovered, serviced and redeployed, offering a different operational model for persistent observation. Their eventual utility would depend on endurance, payload capacity, weather resilience and operating costs.
The DRDO test comes as India explores airship-based pseudo-satellites for defence applications.
The October flight is an experimental milestone, not yet proof of an operational surveillance system capable of remaining airborne for months.
For ADRDE, an establishment known for developing parachutes and aerial delivery systems, the test represents an expansion into a new frontier: platforms designed not just to descend safely from the sky, but to operate high above it.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
