Category: Records, India

NATIONAL: SPORTS / EQUESTRIAN: Karnataka State Police Team’s V. Shylendra, Commandant KARP Wins Gold in 42nd All India Police National Equestrian Championship

V. Shylendra, Commandant, KARP Mounted Company, Mysuru, has won the gold medal in the National-level Equestrian Competition ‘Hacks’ event in the 42nd All India Police Equestrian Championship and Mounted Police Duty Meet – 2023 held at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, Telangana State, from Dec. 26, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024.

A native of Chitradurga, Shylendra represented Karnataka State Police team with the horse named “King’s Power” and has won the individual gold medal after 12 years for Karnataka.

The last individual gold medal in this event was won in the year 2012.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: TELECOMMUNICATIONS & AERIAL TECHNOLOGY / SATELLITES: Pixxel Unveils New Facility to Manufacture & Integrate Satellites, making it the First Spacecraft Manufacturing Facility in Bengaluru

This state-of-the-art facility spans over 30,000 square feet and is designed to streamline the satellite manufacturing process from conceptualisation to launch readiness.

In Short

  • The facility boasts the capacity to manage over twenty satellites concurrently
  • It will have a turnaround time of six months per satellite
  • The facility includes advanced camera integration labs

Pixxel, a space data company known for its cutting-edge hyperspectral earth-imaging technology, has inaugurated its first Spacecraft Manufacturing Facility, MegaPixxel, in Bengaluru.

This state-of-the-art facility spans over 30,000 square feet and is designed to streamline the satellite manufacturing process from conceptualisation to launch readiness.

The MegaPixxel facility will ensure spacecraft assembly, integration and testing (AIT), allowing Pixxel’s satellites to be crafted, integrated, and tested against the rigors of launch conditions before being dispatched to their respective launch sites.

“As we approach our fifth anniversary, the opening of this new facility is a significant achievement for Pixxel. It enhances our capability to act as the planet’s health monitor, increasing our satellite production capacity and enabling us to supply vital data to our clients more rapidly. This data is crucial for informed decision-making across various sectors, including agriculture, energy, forestry, and environmental monitoring,” Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel, said in a statement.

The MegaPixxel facility boasts the capacity to manage over twenty satellites concurrently , with a turnaround time of six months per satellite. This impressive throughput could see up to forty large satellites produced annually.

The facility is uniquely equipped with two modern clean rooms rated at ISO Class 7 and ISO Class 8 to prevent contamination that could compromise satellite functionality during assembly and integration.

In addition to the clean rooms, the facility includes advanced camera integration labs, electronics R&D, electrical assembly areas, a mechanical workshop, a mission control room, and office space capable of accommodating over 200 employees.

MegaPixxel is fitted with smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to optimise energy efficiency and minimize the carbon footprint.

Pixxel is the second private company to open its facility after Skyroot Aerospace, which unveiled its newly developed HQ in Hyderabad last year. 

source/content: indiatoday.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: Bengaluru BEATS Delhi, Becomes Top Indian City With Highest Number Of Private Cars

Bengaluru has overtaken Delhi to become the Indian city with the highest number of private cars.

Bengaluru, the Silicon City of India, is famous for its food and friendly people, but it is also infamous for its kilometer-long traffic jams. According to recent data from the Delhi Statistical Handbook 2023, Bengaluru has surpassed the national capital to become the Indian city with the highest number of private cars. Delhi has a total of 79.5 lakh vehicles, with 20.7 lakh being private cars, according to TOI’s report. In recent years, Delhi’s transport department has decided to deregister and scrap overaged vehicles, citing the surging pollution levels in the city.

Reasons Behind Bengaluru’s Traffic

The biggest reasons for frequent traffic congestion in Bengaluru are rain and festivals due to which the city has secured the second position in the global traffic congestion ranking in 2022. The commuters here took an average of 20 minutes and 10 seconds to cover only 10 km distance with an average speed of 18 kmph. These reports were collected by Dutch location technology specialist TomTom, who disclosed the impact of traffic snarls on the daily lives of Bengaluru people.

People Of Bengaluru Living With Traffic

Notably, in 2022, people in Bengaluru spent a massive amount of time navigating through traffic, wasting a total of 260 hours which is equal to 10 days of driving, with 134 hours attributed to congestion-related delays.


The figures showcased the massive impact of traffic congestion on the daily lives of residents.

source/content: india.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGLY / VACCINES : IISc Develops Heat-Tolerant Covid-19 Vaccine

A team of scientists has completed pre-clinical trials and is now gearing up for human testing .

India could soon have a new vaccine for the mutating COVID-19 virus to keep the virus at bay. Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have been working on developing a heat-tolerant vaccine that can offer protection against different strains of SARS-CoV-2 which includes both current and future variants. The team has completed pre-clinical trials and is gearing up for the human testing of the vaccine candidate. 

According to scientists the evolving nature of the virus and different mutations, they are not sure if the current vaccines can be helpful. Raghavan Varadarajan, Professor at the Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU) has been leading this research project in collaboration with Mynvax, a startup since the beginning of the pandemic. 

After analysing various proteins found in the virus, researchers selected two parts of SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein – the S2 subunit and the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) – for the new vaccine. The S2 subunit is highly conserved – it mutates much less than the S1 subunit, which is the target of most current vaccines. Scientists have also known that the RBD can provoke a strong immune response in the host. The team created a hybrid protein called RS2 by combining these two components, read a statement released by IISc.  

The researchers used mammalian cell lines to study the expression of the hybrid protein. “The protein showed very high levels of expression, and initially I thought that the experiment was not working properly,” said Nidhi Mittal, PhD student at MBU and first author of the study. Further research by Mittal showed that this protein potentially be produced in large quantities.    

The team then tested the effects of the protein in both mice and hamster models. They found that the hybrid protein triggered a strong immune response and provided better protection when compared to vaccines containing the whole spike protein.  

Varadarajan told TNIE that RS2 has better coverage compared to other vaccines. This could be India’s first homegrown vaccine for the JB.1 variant and others as Covaxin developed for the mutation has become inactive. “Post clinical trials the vaccine can be administered to everyone, starting with healthy human bodies. So far in our animal testing we have not seen any side effects but will have to wait for results on humans,” added Varadarajan.

The RS2 antigen can also be stored at room temperature for a month without the need for cold storage, unlike many vaccines in the market which require mandatory cold storage. This would make the distribution and storage of these vaccine candidates much more economical.  

Varadarajan said the vaccine candidate can be tailored to incorporate the RBD region of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that might emerge. Its high levels of expression and stability at room temperature can greatly reduce production and distribution costs, making it well-suited for combating COVID-19. “If need be, the vaccine can also be updated as and when the mutation develops over the years,” he added. 

source/content: newindianexpess.com (headline edited0

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL / KARNATAKA: EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP: Mangalurean Prof Dr Anjana Devi appointed Director at IFW Dresden, Germany

Prof Dr Anjana Devi has become the new director of the IFW Institute for Material Chemistry on January 1.

Prof Dr Anjana Devi has taken over as the new director of the Institute for Materials Chemistry (IMC) at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW) Dresden. At the same time, she is appointed as the chair of materials chemistry in the faculty of chemistry and food chemistry at the Technical University of Dresden. With her internationally recognized expertise, Devi brings a new thematic focus to the research programme of IFW Dresden.

The IFW Institute for Complex Materials (IKM), as it was previously called, will in future focus on materials chemistry. This will enable the entire institute to work together on an extended interdisciplinary basis, from theoretical calculations to experimental research into new materials for effective and sustainable future technologies.

Anjana Devi has a broad expertise in the field precursor chemistry and the development of new ALD/MOCVD processes of functional materials. She employs novel precursors to synthesize nanostructured advanced functional materials for various applications ranging from micro/nano/opto electronics to energy conversion and storage. The research activities include an interdisciplinary approach with a special focus on bridging synthetic chemistry and materials chemistry. At IFW, the research will be centred on 2D materials, in particular their scalable synthesis, heterostructures and nanostructured surfaces.

The ability to design their electronic and structural properties will significantly expand the application areas of 2D materials for industry and thus lead to sustainable research and development at IFW Dresden. Prof Devi is an active and internationally recognized collaborator undertaking joint projects with leading research groups and industries in the field of ALD and CVD.

“With Anjana Devi, we have gained an outstanding expert in the research field of materials chemistry who has a strong international network and reputation,” emphasizes scientific director Prof Dr Bernd Büchner. “Her expertise in advanced functional materials and their development adds another fundamental pillar to our research program in the research for new materials for future technologies. On behalf of the entire institute, I would like to warmly welcome her.”

With her profound expertise in this field, Prof Devi will establish a competence center for atomic layer deposition with the ASPIRE2D project at IFW Dresden in the coming years, which will aim to process advanced 2D functional materials on an atomic scale for future technologies. The focus is on the development of new molecular precursors and transforming them into nanostructured functional materials followed by testing the materials for device applications. In addition, a systematic understanding and evaluation of selected chemical processes will be undertaken. The new ALD competence center will serve as an interdisciplinary platform for researchers and manufacturing institutions within the Silicon Saxony network and the Leibniz Association. A task which the new director is very pleased to fulfill: “I am very excited to venture deep into the development of advanced nanostructured functional materials at IFW. Technological advances are rising tremendously in various sectors and there is a huge demand for new materials with defined functionalities to be identified and processed. The excellent infrastructure and resources that will be at my disposable and the strong interdisciplinary research activities at IFW will enable me to design and develop purpose-driven advanced materials. 2D materials are exciting owing to their multifaceted properties and thus revolutionizing many fields of applications. As research in this field intensifies, the contribution to this field in terms of scalable synthesis of 2D materials via MOCVD and ALD using novel precursor chemistries can facilitate new technological applications in the future.”

In addition to her professional expertise, Anjana Devi has proven herself to be an internationally connected person who is committed to the urgent challenges of these times. Starting her career as a junior professor at the Ruhr University Bochum in 2002, she was the speaker of the ‘Global Young Faculty’ organization, which dealt with the effects of climate change, and she has been supporting the ‘Soroptimist Club’ project in Bochum since 2017, which gives women and girls the opportunity to access education.

The administrative director of IFW Dresden, Juliane Schmidt, also warmly welcomes Prof Devi to the institute: “With Anjana Devi, another female scientist is taking over the directorship of one of the IFW institutes exactly one year after Yana Vaynzof, which is extremely gratifying. Both directors and their projects were recently selected for the ‘Leibniz Programme for Women Professors’, which supports innovative research by women in science. We are pleased to be role models for the next generations of researchers in this context.

Prof Dr Anjana Devi studied chemistry, physics, mathematics and materials science at St Agnes College under Mangalore University until 1991. She completed her PhD in materials science at the Materials Research Center of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. With a fellowship awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, she moved to Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) as a postdoc in 1998. She has been a junior professor at RUB since 2002 and professor of inorganic materials chemistry since 2011.

In 2020, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in science and technology by Aalto University in Finland in recognition of her contributions to the field of precursor chemistry for CVD and ALD applications. In 2021, Prof Devi received the Attract grant from the Fraunhofer Society for carrying out research on 2D materials for innovative sensors using ALD technology. Since then, she has been leading the Nanostructured Sensor Materials (NSM) research group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS) in Duisburg.

Starting January this year, she is the director of the Institute for Materials Chemistry (IMC) at IFW Dresden and professor of materials chemistry at TU Dresden.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: RECORDS: Bengaluru Most Favoured Office Space Market in Country 

Quality office space supply in Bengaluru has driven rentals upward in the market. The average transacted rentals in Bengaluru grew by 6.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 86.4/sq ft/month in 2023.

Bengaluru registered an office transaction volume of 12.5 million square feet in 2023, the highest transaction volume recorded amongst the leading cities in India, according to a report by Knight Frank India released on Wednesday. 

In its latest report titled ‘India Real Estate: Residential and Office (July-December 2023)’, Global Capability Centres (GCC), flex spaces and India-facing occupiers supported the office leasing momentum in Bengaluru while there was a moderation from the tech occupiers. During 2023, flex space occupiers and GCCs dominated the leasing activity in Bengaluru, each accounting for 30% of the total transactions in the city.

The growing occupier interest and the quality office space supply in Bengaluru have driven rentals upward in the market. The average transacted rentals in Bengaluru grew by 6.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 86.4/sq ft/month in 2023, according to the report.

As per the report, in 2023, the Bengaluru market witnessed a new supply infusion of 13.4 mnsqft, leading to a stock accumulation of 215 mnsqft. The market contains an adequate inventory to fulfil occupier demands in the near future.

Shantanu Mazumder, Executive Director, Bengaluru, Knight Frank India, said, “The moderate leasing activity by third-party IT was positively cushioned by the market share consolidation by GCC, flex and India-facing businesses. Bengaluru is an attractive market for GCC occupiers as the city is already an established global hub, has a diverse talent pool and a unique ecosystem comprising technology penetration, research and development, start-ups, academia and more. Bengaluru’s office market fundamentals remain strong.

The acceleration of return-to-office by firms and the growth in India-facing businesses along with stable business inflow from the western developed markets into India should support the growth in the office market demand in the near term.”

According to the report, in 2023, Bengaluru registered a nine-year high sales volume of residential units at 54,046. The North Bengaluru micro-market is an emerging and one of the fastest-growing clusters in the city. In 2023, the micro-market witnessed 22% of sales, with a sharp rise in absolute volumes.

The city witnessed new launches of 51,126 units, a multi-year high, as the market experienced a strong influx of new project launches in 2023, indicating an 18% year-on-year increase. South Bengaluru micro-market continued to dominate sales comprising a share of 39% of the total sales in the city in 2023. The weighted average price of residential units in Bengaluru increased by 7% YoY to Rs 5,900/sq ft/month.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: Mysuru Sculptor Arun Yogiraj’s Ram Lalla to be Installed in Ayodhya Temple

One of the most sought-after sculptors in the country, Yogiraj sculpted the 30-foot statue of Subhash Chandra Bose installed at Amar Jawan Jyoti behind India Gate in New Delhi.

Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj’s Ram Lalla idol has been chosen for installation at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple during the auspicious ‘Prana Prathistapana Muhurtham’ on January 22.

Of the three idols shortlisted, the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust on Monday selected Yogiraj’s Ram Lalla through voting, according to his family members here.

Yogiraj used a unique Krishna shila (stone) from Bujjegoudanapura village in HD Kote taluk of Mysuru district to sculpt the idol along with his team.

Yogiraj hails from a family of sculptors in Mysuru.

One of the most sought-after sculptors in the country, Yogiraj sculpted the 30-foot statue of Subhash Chandra Bose installed at Amar Jawan Jyoti behind India Gate in New Delhi. He is also known for his works such as the 12-foot statue of Adi Shankaracharya in Kedarnath, the 21-foot statue of Lord Hanuman at Chunchanakatte in Mysuru district, the 15-foot statue of Dr BR Ambedkar and the statue of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in Mysuru.

Yogiraj’s wife Vijetha, who expressed her happiness for the selection of her husband’s Ram Lalla, told The New Indian Express that he has been working tirelessly for the past six months. “He did not even meet me or other members of our family during this period. We feel very happy that his work has been selected,” she said.

Many prominent leaders from Mysuru and politicians have congratulated Yogiraj on his achievement. Sharing his happiness on ‘X’, Yediyurappa said, “The idol of Lord Rama sculpted by Arun Yogiraj of Mysuru has been selected for installation in the magnificent Sri Rama Mandir of Ayodhya, which has doubled the pride and happiness of the entire Rama devotees of the state. Heartfelt congratulations to ‘Shilpi @yogiraj_arun’.”

Yediyurappa’s son and BJP state president BY Vijayendra too hailed Yogiraj for making the state and Mysuru proud. “It is the pride of Mysuru, the pride of Karnataka that the idol of Ram Lalla carved by Arun Yogiraj will be enshrined in Ayodhya on January 22,” Vijayendra said. MP PC Mohan and former minister B Sreeramulu also congratulated Yogiraj on social media. 

More than selection, people should appreciate it: Yogiraj

Sculptor Arun Yogiraj said he has not yet received any official communication about the selection of his idol to be installed in Ayodhya.

However, senior BJP leaders’ posts on ‘X’ made him believe that his work has been selected.“I am happy that I was among the three sculptors from the country selected to carve the idol of Ram Lalla,” Yogiraj said.

The challenge was not easy for him. “The idol should be of a child, who is divine too because it is the statue of the incarnation of God. People who look at the statue should feel the divinity,” Yogiraj said.

“Keeping the divinity aspect along with the child-like face in mind, I started my work about seven months ago. Now, I am extremely happy. More than selection, people should appreciate it. Only then, I will be happy,” he said. (With agency inputs)

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: AVIATION & AEROSPACE: ENGINEERING: HAL’s New Design & Test Facility for Aero Engine Research & Development Centre (AERDC) inaugurated

Union Government’s Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurated a new design and test facility at HAL’s Aero Engine Research and Development Centre (AERDC) in Bengaluru on Friday.

Hailing the important work being done by HAL, Aramane said, “HAL has received applause at the highest levels and the government trusts your capability to deliver and make the country self-reliant. Manufacturing sector is the future of our country and in the coming decades, HAL should focus on mastering technologies for all types of aircraft. Think ahead as the entire paradigm of warfare is changing.”

Thrusting on the role of unmanned aircraft in the future warfare, he encouraged HAL to collaborate with other private companies to develop new platforms.

“HAL is the largest DPSU in India and I want it to become the top ten companies in the world,” he said, adding that he had a look at the manufacturing range of various engines and test beds and also paid a visit to HAL’s Aerospace Division.

C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD (Addl. Charge), HAL said, “The development of this facility marks a key milestone in HAL’s growth trajectory. It is a testimony of HAL’s commitment towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in aero-engine design and development.”

The new facility spanning over 10,000 sq. meters has been established under the modernisation plan.

Dr D K Sunil, Director (Engineering, R&D) outlined the design perspectives of HAL’s R&D initiatives.

The AERDC is currently involved in the design and development of several new engines including two strategic engines — Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine (HTFE) of 25 kN thrust for powering trainers, UAV’s, twin engine small fighter aircraft or regional jets and Hindustan Turbo Shaft Engine (HTSE) of 1200 kN thrust for powering light and medium weight helicopters (3.5 to 6.5 tonnes in single/twin engine configuration).

The new state-of-the-art facility houses special machines, advanced setups leveraging on computational tools, in-house fabrication facility and two test beds for testing HTFE-25 and one test-bed each for testing HTSE-1200 and upcoming JV engine for IMRH to be co-developed by Safran, France and HAL.

In addition, the newly developed facility has setups for testing Air producer of Jaguar, Gas Turbine Starter Unit (GTSU) -110 M2 and 127E of LCA, Auxiliary Power Units of IMRH and AMCA, Gas Turbine Electrical Generator (GTEG)-60 for An-32 aircraft. Setups to carry out various critical tests for engine components and LRUs have also been established within the new facility.

The Centre, established in the 1960s, holds the unique distinction of being the only design house that has developed test beds for engines of both Western and Russian origin. It has successfully developed and certified PTAE-7 engine, the first indigenous turbojet engine of India powering Lakshya (Unmanned Aircraft), Gas Turbine Electrical Generator GTEG-60 for starting An-32 aircraft, Air starter ATS 37 and Air producer for starting Adour-Mk 804E/811 on Jaguar Aircraft and Shakti engine for powering ALH to support Ad804/811 engine of Jaguar aircraft.

Senior officials from HAL, IAF, GTRE. ADA, NAL, CEMILAC and ADE were present on the occasion.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: ROBOTICS: India’s 01st Edition of ROSCon 2023 energises Robotics Community in country

The event featured seven innovative robotic startup showcases, 14 talks on ROS, and four-panel discussions.

India’s first edition of ROSCon 2023 — a platform that brought together industry experts, researchers and enthusiasts from the Robotics and ROS (Robot Operating System) community — was held in Bengaluru last week. The event witnessed a turnout of 700 participants from within and outside the country.

ARTPARK-IISc, in collaboration with Acceleration Robotics and Rigbetel Labs hosted the first edition of ROSCon India at the JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The two-day event held on December 14 and 15 offered a historic platform for ROS developers, encompassing enthusiasts at every level, from beginners to seasoned experts.

The event featured seven innovative robotic startup showcases, 14 talks on ROS, and four-panel discussions. The sessions delved into the evolving landscape of robotics in India, exploring challenges faced by startups in robotics, the significance of edge computing, and the intricacies of securing venture capital funding.

“It was a real eye-opener for us to see the tremendous interest in robotics in general and ROS in particular. This event is part of ARTPARK’s larger goal of catalyzing the innovation ecosystem around robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications to solve problems at scale via creating and supporting startups. The event played a pivotal role in uniting and strengthening the robotics community across the country,” said Prof Bharadwaj Amrutur, Executive Director and Chief Technologist, ARTPARK-IISc.

He added that ROSCon not only marked a momentous occasion in India’s robotics journey but also set the stage for continued collaboration, innovation and advancements in the field. The event received significant support from industry leaders, with Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Analogue Devices India joining as platinum sponsors.

ARTPARK is an AI and Robotics Technology Park promoted by the IISc to foster innovations in AI and robotics by bringing together the best of the startup, industry, research and government ecosystem. It is seed-funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) and the Government of Karnataka. 

Acceleration Robotics is focused on designing customized hardware, or “brains”, that speed up a robot’s operation. The company creates custom compute architectures for high-performance robots through hardware acceleration solutions. RigBetel Labs aims to bring the nitty-gritty of cutting-edge technologies like robotics, automation, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud tech and mobile application to every viable sector.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ENGINEERING & SCIENCE: DRONES: India closer to New Drone Power as NRT’s Indigenous Solar-Powered Pseudo-Satellite Flies for over 21 hrs

Start-up announced that its prototype had completed flight during Winter Solstice trial. Big fillip to India’s plan of having long-endurance drone capable of flying in stratosphere.

Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd (NRT) announced Saturday that its long-endurance drone, the solar-powered High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS), had carried out its first flight lasting over 21 hours. The development comes as a big fillip to India’s plan to have its own long-endurance drones capable of flying in the stratosphere.

The project is being spearheaded under the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative of the defence ministry. Under this, NRT has signed a contract for an initial proof-of-concept demonstrator, which targets a solar-powered flight lasting longer than 48 hours. 

Sameer Joshi, CEO of the start-up and a former Air Force pilot, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that the company’s prototype completed its flight during a Winter Solstice trial on 22 December.

The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, tests the solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s (UAV) endurance at its worst. The next flight will take place on 21 June or the Summer Solstice, when the Sun will be at its brightest.

The IAF has included HAPS under a Rs 1,000 crore ‘Make I project’ of the Government of India. This means that 70 percent of the funding will come from the government.

Upbeat about the NRT feat, defence sources told ThePrint that this was the next big thing in air warfare and that the flight included both day and night flying, with the UAV using solar energy for travel during the day and using its solar-charged battery for flying at night. The sources refused to get into details of what altitude the UAV flew at, but said the plan is to have it fly in the stratosphere at about 65,000 feet, above air traffic.

For context, commercial aircraft typically fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet, or at about 5.9 to 7.2 miles.

Since the HAPS operates on solar power, it can continue to fly for months.

India’s first stratospheric vehicle?

The HAPS UAV is part of a new genre of solar-powered platforms being designed across the world for persistent surveillance, communications, and specialist science missions.

Both the IAF and the Navy are on board with the project and are looking at acquiring this capability in the short term as well as in the long term. 

In India, the National Aerospace Laboratories under the government’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is also working on a similar project, but details of its progress are yet unknown. 

Defence sources told ThePrint that India does not have a stratospheric vehicle. 

Running exclusively on solar power and flying above the weather at 16-20 km autonomously for months at a stretch, a HAPS platform will fill a capability gap between satellites and HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs, sources said. 

The sources explained that HAPS is ultra-lightweight but has a strong body with the ability to take onboard batteries and other systems. They said that as the battery technology improves, the endurance would also grow.

The intended surveillance payloads for HAPS include electro-optical/ infra-red (EO/IR) solutions, synthetic aperture radars (SAR) besides communication payloads — including range extenders, electronic intelligence (ELINT) and electronic warfare (EW).  

The existing technology limits of the ISR payloads for HAPS allow observations of up to 80-100 km from stratospheric altitudes, which is 2-3 times more as offered by MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs. ISR, or Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), is vital for military operations.

Sources said the HAPS technology will offset the lack of critical ISR gap felt during the Doklam crisis, the Balakot incident, and the ongoing crisis in Ladakh. 

The Navy will be an immediate beneficiary since this allows continuous low-cost manning of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), sources said.

They also explained that the civilian use of HAPS is equally important since it can provide telecommunication connectivity all over India — especially in regions with patchy terrestrial network issues because of the challenges of terrain and costs.  

source/content: theprint.in (headline edited)