SAHAYAK-NG: India's first indigenous air-droppable container successfully passes first trial

New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy on Wednesday jointly conducted the successful maiden trial of SAHAYAK-NG. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday gave out a press release declaring the good news on their Twitter. The air-droppable container was dropped from IL-38SD aircraft off the coast of Goa, according to the official statement.

SAHAYAK-NG is India's first indigenously designed and developed air-droppable container. The successful maiden flight trial was carried out from Navy's Ilyushin Il-38SD Sea Dragon maritime patrol aircraft off the coast of Goa. As per reports, the container is aided by GPS and can carry a payload of 50 kgs which can be dropped from heavy aircrafts. 

Notably, the trial was conducted by the Indian navy to enhance its capabilities of operational logistics and provide critical engineering stores to ships which are deployed more than 2000 kilometres from the coast. The air-droppable container also has a satellite-based reporting terminal which is what enables its precise GPS location.

Talking about the container's features, the Union Ministry said in the official statement, "It reduces the requirement of ships to come close to the coast to collect spares and stores." 

Reportedly, two laboratories of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the private company Avantel designed and developed the air-droppable container SAHAYAK-NG, which is an advanced model of SAHAYAK Mk I air droppable container. The two labs are Agra-based Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), a laboratory of the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation and Vishakhapatnam-based Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL).

The Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr. G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the entire team of DRDO, Indian Navy and the associated industrial partners who were involved in conducting the successful maiden trial. 

Reportedly, scientists from NSTL under the guidance of Principal Project Director NSTL RVS Subrahmanyam, scientists from ADRDE Agra, lead Integrator, Avantel, Visakhapatnam and Indian Navy aviation personnel participated in the trial.

Also Read: CM Sonowal releases e-book on 'Vrindavani Vastra'

Also Watch: Candid Conversation with guest M Suresh, Regional Executive Director, AAI, Northeast Region