NewSpace Research and Technologies (NRT) has been awarded a contract by iDEX – DIO for design and development of a stratospheric High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) UAS for the Indian Navy.
Largely geared towards the Indian naval needs in the IOR, this program is one of the path breaking contracts awarded under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and the DAP2020, with assured MOQs and a direct procurement post realisation of TRL 7-9. It is also one of the only few real world commitment for a HAPS class UAS product development effort across the world.
As one of the only two organisations in India carrying our indigenous development of a HAPS UAV from the ground up (arguably one of most difficult aerospace platform to realise); NRT will leverage its experience gained from successfully developing and flight testing the technology demonstrator as part of the previous iDEX – DIO sub scale aircraft development with the Indian Air Force.
NRT expects to develop this cutting edge dual use platform in the years ahead, focussing on persistent ISR, communication, ELINT missions of the Indian military and the communication needs, including beaming down of WiFi and 5G networks, as well as disaster monitoring applications from the stratosphere for civilian use cases.