With an aim of bolstering the ambit of surveillance operations and airborne communications, the Ministry of Defence has inked a deal to design and develop ‘High Altitude Pseudo Satellite’ (HAPS) with a Bengaluru-based firm.
It is important to note that the deal will be mentored under the Defence Ministry’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative. Further, the programme has been supported by the armed forces and will see state-owned aerospace firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as the lead prototype development partner.
Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research & Technologies joined hands with the Defence Ministry, with a plan to develop the first prototype for tests within the span of the next four years. Notably, major UAV-related tech development was started under iDEX for High Altitude Platform System HAPS. The developed UAV will fly in the stratosphere for months.
Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar lauded the initiative and said, “Huge step towards cutting edge aerospace development by startups.”
Notably, the initial phase of the programme will be undertaken by the startup with the seed funding by the Defence Ministry and the prototype development is likely to see Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as the lead partner.
Understanding HAPS
With the estimated budget of ₹700 crore to develop the system, the initiative will be part of HALs Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) which seeks to integrate manned airborne platforms with swarm drones and a high altitude surveillance network.
Giving the cutting edge technology, the HAPS is being designed to undertake surveillance and communication duties for months and will encompass applications in the civilian domain in the future.
Further, the UAV is being designed to fly at 70,000 feet, to maintain surveillance on the ground below and would rely on solar energy to power itself for months to a stretch.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s CATS: India’s advanced combat air defence drones
Imagine a fighter aircraft flying in hostile air space, the pilot in the cockpit operating the aircraft, and just a few meters away, there is a drone flying and the pilot is controlling that drone to execute an attack on an aerial threat. This is called a ‘loyal wingman system’ where an aircraft with a human in it operates an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flying somewhere else using artificial intelligence.
This is the advanced technology, India’s aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) along with the Bengaluru-based NewSpace startup is developing as a part of the indigenous ‘Combat Air Teaming System’ (CATS). CATS drone is a deep penetration aerial attack system that enables a fighter pilot to remain safely within the country’s borders while being able to deploy missiles or swarms of drones deep into enemy territory to destroy targets.
The stealth drones can carry up to 4 conventional munitions including cruise missiles, runway destroying bombs, and other payloads. The aerial vehicle has a capacity of flying at a speed of 350 km into the enemy’s territory guided by “mother ship,” – a light combat aircraft (LCA), which can enter the enemy region, drop its missile and return to base.
The project has been exclusively earmarked by HAL for all three defence arms of the nation, the Indian Army, Navy, and Airforce. With an initial investment of Rs 400 crore, work has been started on the three separate components that comprise the CATS system – CATS Warrior (Teaming drone), CATS Hunter (air-launched cruise missile) and Alpha-S (glider drone), all of which are unmanned systems but controlled by the pilot from the mothership via secure data links, and equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors.
The CATS Trilogy
CATS Hunter:
Conceived as an air-launched cruise missile, CATS Hunter has a capacity of deep penetration strikes, which can be put as a payload on various Indian aircraft like Sukhoi-30 MKI, LCA Tejas, and Jaguar jets.
CATS Warrior:
Capable of taking off on its own from the ground, CATS Warrior can strike target enemy regions carrying up to 250 kg heavy explosives like Smart Anti Airfield weapon (SAAW) and Next Advanced Generation Missile (NAGM).
Alpha-S
The Alpha-S can be released directly by a mother ship using a glider that can carry the drone swarms deep into enemy territory, controlled by the pilot networked via electronic data links, and equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors.
