New Delhi: The folks at India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have written a high-flying page in the country’s defence narrative with its earlier- reported history-making test of their very own Military Combat Parachute System or MCPS being tested successfully for induction from 32,000 feet.
The System was ‘put to the test’ during a flawless combat freefall, conducted by daring Indian Air Force paratroopers on October 15 — demonstrating its might as India’s first homegrown parachute for operations over and above 25,000 feet — cutting dependence on foreign tech.
Imagine this: Wing Commander Vishal Lakhesh, Master Warrant Officer R J Singh and Master Warrant Officer Vivek Tiwari jumped from stratospheric heights to drop the MCPS at 30,000 feet. The parachute’s high-end capabilities – low-speed descent for safety of landing, excellent directional control and plug-and-play configuration with NavIC (India’s in-house satellite navigation system) technology made sure the artillery always landed to a precision that ranged from foggy battlefields to hostile terrain.
Developed collaboratively by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment in Agra and the Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory in Bengaluru, MCPS not only is reliable; it changes the game. Having repairs done locally results in faster fixes and the highest readiness at times of crisis — saving headaches, and costs, on imports for the military.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, IAF and industry partners on the “great feat” which he said marked a “landmark step in early next-gen indigenous defence developments”.
DRDO chief Dr Samir V Kamat endorsed the sentiment when he referred to it as a “critical step towards self reliance in aerial delivery which will strongly enhance our airpower capability for military operations against enemy targets.”
As DRDO – the missile, arms and now aerial ace company – keeps innovating at its nationwide labs, this success whispers a brave promise: India’s skies are a little more secure, her soldiers little bolder.
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