Akashdeep aerostat
November 22, 2012 By SP's Special Correspondent
The DRDO has successfully tested its Akashdeep medium sized aerostat system, indigenously designed and built by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra, at the IIT Kanpur airstrip. The indigenously developed components on the high endurance surveillance system–the IAF requires more than 20–includes high performance PU Coated Nylon fabrics, Aerostat Balloon, Electro-Optical Tether, Electro-Hydraulic Control System, Smart-Active Pressure Control System, Helium Gas Management System and other systems.
According to the DRDO, "The prime objective of trials at IIT, Kanpur, to demonstrate endurance of the system constantly for five days at an altitude of one km without Helium top-up. The other objectives were improvising of integration methodologies to reduce integration time, testing of the new balloon, inflation using improved and modified Aerostat inflation safety net assembly and validation of dynamic stability data through instrumentation." The IAF currently operates IAI/ELTA aerostatus for surveillance, but has expressed interest in the Indian programme as well.
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