India Conducts Maiden Flight-Trials of Stratospheric Airship Platform

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight-trials of its Stratospheric Airship Platform at the Sheopur trial site in Madhya Pradesh. This high-altitude airship, developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra, ascended to approximately 17 kilometers, carrying an instrumental payload.

The trial lasted 62 minutes, during which key onboard systems—such as envelope pressure control and emergency deflation mechanisms —were tested and performed as expected. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the achievement, emphasizing that this system will significantly enhance India’s earth observation and Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

 

This marks a major step forward in India's aerospace technology, placing it among the few nations with indigenous lighter-than-air high-altitude platforms.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO for the successful maiden flight-trial of the system. He stated that this system will uniquely enhance India’s earth observation and Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance capabilities, making the country one of the few countries in the world having such indigenous capabilities.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat congratulated the DRDO team involved in design, development and trial of the system. He said the prototype flight is a milestone towards realisation of lighter-than-air high-altitude platform systems that can remain airborne for very long endurance at stratospheric heights.