India has launched a ₹15,000 crore programme to develop indigenous stratospheric airships for surveillance, intelligence gathering and long-range communications, according to reports citing The Economic Times.
The initiative is being overseen by the Indian Air Force’s Directorate of Operations (Remote) and will focus on Air Ship-based High Altitude Pseudo Satellites, or AS-HAPS, the reports said. The platforms are expected to operate at altitudes above 20 kilometres and carry payloads for optical surveillance, electronic intelligence and communications.
The programme will be executed under the Make-I procurement route, which allows the government to fund up to 70% of research and development costs for selected industry partners. Several private-sector aerospace companies are expected to compete for prototype development contracts, with the programme covering both development and procurement of operational systems.
The move builds on DRDO’s maiden flight trial of its Stratospheric Airship Platform, conducted on May 3, 2025, from the Sheopur trial site in Madhya Pradesh. In that test, the airship carried an instrumental payload to an altitude of around 17 kilometres.
The Defence Acquisition Council approved the AS-HAPS programme in February 2026, according to the reports. DRDO’s earlier trial has helped establish the technical foundation for the larger effort now moving into development.
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