The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful high-speed rocket-sledge test of a fighter aircraft escape system at controlled velocity yesterday. With this complex dynamic test, India has joined the elite club of nations with advanced in-house escape system testing capability.
The test was conducted in collaboration with Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at the Rail Track Rocket Sledge facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh. It was witnessed by the officials from the Indian Air Force (IAF), and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine & certification.
Raksha Mantri, Rajnath Singh, complimented DRDO, IAF, ADA, HAL and industry on the successful test. He described it as a significant milestone for India’s indigenous defence capability towards self-reliance. More from our correspondent:
Dynamic ejection tests are significantly more complex than static tests, such as the Net test or the Zero-Zero test and are real measures for evaluating ejection seat performance & efficacy of the canopy severance system. A dual-sledge system with the LCA aircraft forebody was propelled to precisely controlled velocity through phased firing of multiple solid propellant rocket motors.
The canopy fragilisation pattern, ejection sequencing and complete aircrew recovery process were simulated using an instrumented Anthropomorphic Test Dummy, commonly known as a life-size mannequin designed to simulate human response during vehicle collisions. The test records critical loads, moments, and accelerations that would be experienced by ejected pilots. The entire sequence was captured through onboard and ground-based imaging systems.
