DRDO conducts maiden flight trials of Stratospheric Airship Platform in MP

Bhopal: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (
) has successfully conducted the maiden flight trials of its
Stratospheric Airship Platform
from the Sheopur Trial Site in
Madhya Pradesh
on Saturday.
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Developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra, the airship was launched with an instrumental payload, reaching an altitude of approximately 17 kilometers.
Data from onboard sensors were received during the flight and will be used to develop high-fidelity simulation models for future high-altitude airship operations.
The flight also tested the performance of envelope pressure control and emergency deflation systems, which were deployed as part of the trial.
Following the flight, the system was recovered for further analysis. The flight lasted about 62 minutes, agencies report.
Congratulating DRDO on the successful trial, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh stated, "This system will significantly enhance India's
Earth observation
,
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
(ISR) capabilities, positioning India among the few nations globally with such indigenous high-altitude platforms."
Dr Samir V Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, also congratulated the team for their efforts. He highlighted that the successful prototype flight is a critical step towards realizing lighter-than-air high-altitude platform systems capable of remaining airborne for extended durations at stratospheric heights.

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