Indigenous Surveillance Airships to Strengthen India’s Border Monitoring

Key facts

• India launched the Air Ship-based High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (AS-HAPS) project to develop indigenous stratospheric airships for long-duration surveillance and intelligence missions.
• The airships will operate at altitudes above 20 km, bridging the gap between high-altitude drones and low Earth orbit satellites.
• The project is being developed under the Ministry of Defence’s Make-I procurement category, with government funding support of up to 70% of research and development costs.
• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the project in February, with an estimated total cost of ₹15,000 crore.
• The government plans to select at least two private sector development partners based on technical capabilities and financial strength.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested an airship carrying an instrumental payload at an altitude of around 17 km over Madhya Pradesh in May 2025.
• The airships will be equipped with advanced sensors including optical surveillance equipment and radar systems for persistent monitoring of strategic areas.
• The platforms will also support electronic intelligence gathering and long-range communication networks by transmitting data between ground systems and satellites.