Through this collaboration, Mira Aerospace will pair its cutting-edge ApusNeo HAPS technology with VEDA Aeronautics’ local development capabilities. The offering will be available to both Indian Defence and civilian clients.

Under this agreement, the companies have committed to deliver a HAPS platform specific to the Indian market within the first half of 2024. Mira Aerospace and VEDA Aeronautics previously performed test flights in the Indian airspace, where the technology demonstrator HAPS unit flew in the Indian stratosphere. This test continues to be the only such flight in India to date.

VEDA Aeronautics has recently participated in the Make-1 project, an initiative launched and funded by the Indian Air Force, where the company looks to design and develop a HAPS solution capable of carrying a minimum 35KG payload and sustaining operations at 18,000m altitude for minimum of 30-45 days. Under the Make-1 project, the HAPS developed through the partnership with Mira Aerospace could potentially be used for strategic persistent monitoring of the Indian borders.

The project is being handheld by the Indian military and the HAPS has successfully carried out flights over the Pokhran Test Range at 12 km above the ground. Conducted in March last year, the test marked the only flight of an HAPS in the Indian stratosphere.

As part of a new genre of solar-powered platforms being designed across the world for persistent surveillance, communications, and scientific missions, The HAPS platform will fill a capability gap between satellites and HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs and run purely on solar power, flying above the clouds at 16-20 km autonomously for months at a stretch.

On board with the project, both the IAF and the Navy are looking to acquire this capability for the short- and long-term. According to sources, the IAF is closely monitoring the project and handholding the players. Developed under the Ministry of Defence’s Rs 1,000 crore ‘Make-I project’, which entails 90 percent of government funding, the HAPS would be used for strategic persistent monitoring of India’s borders.

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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.

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