India Conducts Maiden Flight-Trials Of Stratospheric Airship Platform

India on Saturday successfully carried out maiden flight-trials of a stratospheric airship platform which is being developed to boost the military's surveillance capabilities. Very few countries in the world have developed such a complex platform, officials said.

The flight trial was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh.

DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat said the prototype flight is a "milestone" towards realisation of lighter-than-air high-altitude platform systems that can remain airborne for very long endurance at stratospheric heights.