The Defence Acquisition Council has granted Acceptance of Necessity for procuring Air-Ships Based High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (AS-HAPS) for the Indian Air Force.
This ₹15,000 crore system will enhance IAF’s surveillance with persistent ISR, ELINT, and communications at 20 km altitude for up to 90 days. Indian firms like NewSpace Research are prototyping this solar-powered “pseudo-satellite” airship.
The approval, part of major deals cleared on February 12, boosts India’s self-reliant airpower capabilities.
‘Eye in the Sky’: How AS-HAPS Will Transform IAF Surveillance?
High-Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS) are solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles. They operate in the stratosphere at 18-20 km altitudes, almost twice the cruising height of commercial jets.
This positioning enables long-endurance missions for surveillance and communication. HAPS bridge the gap between drones and satellites with cost-effective, persistent coverage.
Unlike satellites orbiting 200+ km high and needing costly rocket launches, HAPS platforms stay aloft for months or years.
They harness solar power by day and dense batteries at night for endurance.
This delivers satellite-level capabilities at far lower costs, hence “pseudo-satellites.”
The 2017 Doklam standoff with China highlighted the urgent need for HAPS to ensure continuous border surveillance.
Conventional UAVs offer limited flight times and cover only small areas.
Satellites in low-Earth orbit follow fixed paths, preventing persistent monitoring of specific zones.
The 2017 Doklam standoff with China underscored the need for HAPS to enable continuous surveillance along India’s vast borders.
Conventional UAVs have limited flight endurance and cover small areas only.
Low-Earth orbit satellites follow fixed paths, unable to provide persistent monitoring over specific zones.
HAPS bridges this gap by loitering indefinitely at high altitudes for real-time border vigilance.
India is advancing indigenous HAPS technology via the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in Bengaluru.
In February 2024, NAL tested a 23-kg scaled-down prototype at Challakere Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka.
The prototype, boasting a 12-metre wingspan, flew for over eight hours at 3 km altitude.
It surpassed all performance benchmarks, marking a key milestone in India’s HAPS development.
NAL’s recent pre-monsoon tests proved HAPS can pierce cloud cover and reach 24,000 feet.
The lab targets a full-scale version with a 30-metre wingspan, Boeing 737-sized, for 23 km flights lasting 90 hours by 2027.
Private firms like Bengaluru’s NewSpace and HAL are also building solar-powered HAPS prototypes.
Beyond defence, HAPS enables civilian uses like disaster comms, 5G in remote zones, precision farming, and eco-monitoring as flexible “sky towers.”
DAC clearance advances to cost talks and Cabinet approval, placing India alongside the US, China, UK, and South Korea in this drone-satellite bridge tech.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
