Type-V Heavy Drop System showcased at North Tech Symposium in Jammu

A "Type-V Heavy Drop System" in which a parachute is used to drop from an aircraft arms, ammunition and equipment weighing up to 20 tons in a battlefield or an inaccessible high-altitude area was showcased at the North Tech Symposium here on Monday.

Designed and developed at the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the system was successfully tested from a cargo aircraft by the Indian Air Force (IAF) recently, officials said.

With the help of this system, arms, equipment and ammunition weighing up to 20 tons can be easily transported and dropped with the help of parachute in the battlefield or inaccessible high-altitude areas, they said.

Being manufactured with 100 per cent indigenous resources, the IAF users have declared it a major success under "make in India".

Officials said the testing was jointly completed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, armed forces and Airbornics Defence and Space Private Limited (defence division of JCBL).

"The system can be used for C-17, C-130 and other C-series aircraft. It has a platform and a special multi-stage parachute system," an official said.

It consists of eight main canopies, three extractor parachutes, one drogue parachute and electrical, electronic, mechanical systems and other latching accessories. The platform of this system is made of a special aluminum metal, they said.

Preparations have been completed for the induction of this system into the armed forces, he added.

It is being manufactured by Airbornics Defence and Space Private Limited.

ADSPL is involved in R&D activities with aerial delivery research and development establishment, Agra (DRDO) since 2018 for development of such systems for the needs of the armed forces, officials said.

The three-day North Tech Symposium, organised by the Army, began on the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus on the outskirts of Jammu on Monday.

A large number of companies and start-ups are showcasing their military equipment at the symposium, which facilitates a structured approach to product evaluation, prioritisation, and acquisition while contributing actionable inputs for procurement plans.