Innovations for Defence Excellence Programme
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and an aerospace startup, NewSpace, has signed an agreement for the development of a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS). The contract was signed on February 10.
HAPS is an unmanned aircraft. It operates at altitudes over 65,000 ft and is capable of conducting surveillance operations by staying airborne for months at a stretch.It is designed to fly at higher altitudes, which puts them out of range for most air defence systems. HAPS rely on solar energy to power themselves. This allows the aircraft to stay airborne for months on end.
The Bengaluru-based startup will help the defence ministry in the development of a primary prototype for testing and it will undergo assessments over the next four years.The first phase of development will be done by the startup with seed funding from the Ministry of Defence.
The initiative is part of MoD’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme. It will also see Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) come onboard as the lead prototype development partner. The Indian Army is backing the project.
The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 700 Cr. Subsequently, the HAPS will be a part of HAL’s Combat Air Teaming System that seeks to integrate manned airborne platforms with the high altitude surveillance network.
”Major UAV-related tech development was initiated under iDEX for HAPS. HAPS UAV will fly in the stratosphere for months. It will be a huge step towards cutting edge aerospace development by startups,” Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar was quoted as saying by ET.
Defence hub
According to a report, about 70% of the defence requirements of India are met through imports. The government has announced a slew of schemes to boost the local defence sector and on foreign exchange. 68% of the defence services capital acquisition budget was set aside for domestic defence procurement in this Budget. The Government also accorded priority to procurement of capital items from domestic sources under the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020.
Centre’s vision is to make India the ‘defence hub of the world”, with a turnover of $25.5 Bn in military goods and services by 2025.
According to a media report, the government estimates the size of the local defence and aerospace manufacturing sector to reach the INR 1 Tn mark in 2022. Another report estimates the same industry to reach a market size of $70 Bn by 2030.
In addition to this, India has around 194 defence tech startups building innovative solutions. Some major local players include ideaForge, Tonbo Imaging, CM Environsystems, and VizExperts.
