The Indian Air Force has launched an ambitious project aimed at taking surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to new heights. The Indian Air Force has invited proposals (bids) from Indian companies to develop autonomous (pilotless) heavy-lift airships powered by hydrogen.
Under this project named ‘Medium Altitude Heavy Lift Airship’, such airships will be built which can fly at a height of about 30,000 feet and will be capable of carrying a payload of about 5,000 kg. This platform will be completely autonomous and will be able to remain deployed on missions for a long period.
The Air Force has clarified that at least 50 percent indigenous content will be mandatory in the project, although foreign collaboration, technical partnership or joint venture will be allowed under prescribed conditions.
This airship will be designed for multi-purpose role. This will include tasks like persistent surveillance, intelligence gathering, electronic warfare support and communication systems. Apart from this, it can also be developed as a platform to launch drones and missiles while in the air.
Hydrogen has been given priority as a fuel. According to the Air Force, hydrogen is an abundantly available, non-toxic and high energy density fuel, which releases only water vapor when combusted. Along with this, the use of hybrid propulsion systems, such as solar power, batteries or fuel cells has also been encouraged. Minimum endurance of 10 days has been made mandatory for airships.
As per the technical parameters, the airship should have the capability of auto-launch and recovery from both prepared and temporary runways, making it capable of operating in a variety of conditions. The communication system must ensure uninterrupted connectivity through line-of-sight coverage or satellite links of at least 250 kilometres.
Although the Indian Air Force has not disclosed the total number of airships, the requirements of the project reflect its large scale and strategic importance. Interested companies must demonstrate strong financial position, state-of-the-art manufacturing infrastructure, in-house design capability and effective project management. The last date for submission of proposals has been fixed as April 30, after which the Air Force will select a suitable partner. The initiative is also said to be part of India’s strategy to promote indigenous innovation in the defense sector.
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