New Delhi

India has entered an “elite club of nations” after the DRDO successfully carried out a high-speed rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft escape system, validating critical safety features including canopy severance, ejection sequencing and full aircrew recovery, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

Conducted at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of DRDO’s Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh, the test involved propelling an LCA forebody mounted on a dual-sled system to a controlled velocity of 800 km/h using multiple solid rocket motors.

The dynamic test, described as far more complex than static trials, used an instrumented dummy to measure forces and accelerations a pilot would face during ejection. The entire sequence was recorded by onboard and ground-based imaging systems.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, IAF, ADA and HAL, calling the achievement a major step toward self-reliance in defence.

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The demonstration was witnessed by officials from the Indian Air Force and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine. DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat also lauded the teams involved.