ADRDE developed several variants of heavy drop system for transport aircraft
New Delhi, 19 August: The Indian Air Force is now preparing to deliver ration and combat weapons to the soldiers posted on the borders by parachute. In a bid to boost military logistics capabilities, the Air Force on Saturday test-fired the indigenous Heavy drop System (HDS) from a cargo aircraft, which was a complete success.
According to the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), this heavy drop system has been designed and developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment. It is a specialized military technique, used for precision para-dropping of various military supplies, equipment and vehicles. Paradrop techniques have been used in developing it, which have been tried by some selected countries. ADRDE has designed various variants of Heavy drop System for transport aircraft like AN-32, IL-76 and C-17 to cater to different weight classes of military cargo of three tonne, seven tonne and 16 tonne respectively .
According to officials, the three ton and seven ton capacity systems have been made for the Indian Army and the Indian Navy. Heavy drop System-P7 for IL-76 aircraft consists of a platform and parachute assembly. The parachute system consists of five primary canopies, five brake chute, two auxiliary chute and one extractor parachute. The platform is a robust metal structure made of aluminum and steel alloys, weighing approximately 1,110 kg. The parachute system weighing around 500 kg ensures safe delivery of heavy cargo.
According to DRDO, this system works at a drop speed of 260-400 km per hour by carrying 7 thousand kg of logistics. The system, which uses parachutes from the Ordnance Factory, is in line with the Make in India programme. The Heavy drop System-16T is designed for the IL-76 heavy lift aircraft. It enables safe and accurate paradropping of military cargo weighing up to 16 tonnes. This includes BMP vehicles, supplies and ammunition. This indigenous system has demonstrated its capability in all terrains in previous trials as well. It can land in plains, deserts and high altitude areas. This system can hold a maximum payload of 15 thousand kg.
Earlier, ADRDE itself had demonstrated a Controlled Air Delivery System of 500 kg capacity (CADS-500) as part of India’s 75th Independence celebrations. The system uses Ram Air Parachute (RAP) for precise delivery of payloads up to 500 kg to pre-determined locations. The CADS-500 autonomously steered its flight path using GPS and the system was para-dropped from an AN-32 aircraft at an altitude of 5000 meters in the Malpura zone. Eleven paratroopers from the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force landed together after tracking it.
The DRDO had showcased an upgraded version of the heavy drop system P-7 in 2020, just after the Galwan clash with the Chinese troops. In this validation test, the two systems were dropped from an IL-76 aircraft at an altitude of 600 meters and at a speed of 280 kmph. The cargo was safely lowered using five large parachutes. With this system, the capability of the armed forces can be increased by supplying combat weapons even to remote and inaccessible areas.
